A 26-year-old businessman from Pune was allegedly pushed 350 feet to his death by his fiancée and her secret partner during what was staged as a birthday trek. What followed was a swift, methodical unravelling of a conspiracy months in the making.
On the morning of June 18, 2026, Ketan Vishal Agarwal arrived at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala, Pune, with the woman he was to marry in a few months. He was twenty-six years old, a director in his family's real estate firm, the kind of son whose parents had booked a palace in Udaipur for the wedding. He did not come back down.
What his family was told — and what police initially recorded — was that Ketan had slipped and fallen. An accident on a popular hill fort. Tragic, but not uncommon. It took less than three days for that version to collapse entirely.
On Tuesday, June 24, Pune Rural Police announced the arrest of Siya Goyal, 20, Ketan's fiancée, and Chetan Chaudhary, her alleged partner, on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. What investigators say they uncovered was not a moment of impulse, but a plot that had been rehearsed at least twice before it finally succeeded.
What the Police Say Happened
The Pune Rural Police's account, delivered publicly by Superintendent Sandeep Singh Gill, is precise and damning. Siya Goyal and Ketan Agarwal were engaged and scheduled to marry later in 2026. Unknown to Ketan and both families, Siya was allegedly maintaining a parallel relationship with Chetan Chaudhary.
According to police, as the wedding date drew closer, Siya and Chetan allegedly decided that the only exit from the engagement was not a conversation — it was a crime.
"Siya was engaged to Ketan, but she did not want to marry him. So, she and Chetan hatched a conspiracy. Siya took Ketan to Lohagad Fort on June 18. Chetan was already there. As the two climbed up the hill fort, Chetan followed them. Then he and Siya pushed Ketan off the cliff."— SP Sandeep Singh Gill, Pune Rural Police
Ketan's father later told ANI that the attackers allegedly struck his son with an object before throwing him from the cliff — a detail that, if verified, would rule out any residual possibility of an accidental push in a panic.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Victim: Ketan Vishal Agarwal, 26, businessman, Gahunje, Pune district
- Accused: Siya Goyal, 20 (fiancée); Chetan Chaudhary (alleged partner)
- Date of incident: June 18, 2026
- Location: Lohagad Fort, near Lonavala, Pune, Maharashtra
- Cause of death: Allegedly pushed approximately 350 feet into a valley
- Arrests made: June 24, 2026 — both accused in police custody until June 29
- Charges: Murder (IPC Section 302) and criminal conspiracy
- Police authority: Pune Rural Police; SP Sandeep Singh Gill
A Conspiracy That Began Months Before June 18
The most disturbing dimension of this case is not the act itself, but its architecture. This was not a moment of rage at the top of a fort. Police allege it was the third attempt. The first two failed.
May 31
First Attempt — Lohagad Fort (Failed)
Police allege that Siya and Chetan made a prior visit to Lohagad Fort on May 31 with the intention of killing Ketan. The plan did not succeed. Reports indicate Siya tried to engineer a scare involving a snake to disorient Ketan, but the attempt was aborted.
Early June
Second Attempt — Bali (Sabotaged, not executed)
The couple and friends were to travel to Bali for a pre-wedding photoshoot. At Mumbai airport, Ketan's passport was found missing. According to police, Siya had hidden it, forcing the group to return home. The investigation revealed this was an attempt to abort the pre-wedding trip — possibly as groundwork for a separate plan abroad. The Bali attempt, if intended as a murder attempt, was the first in the sequence; the fort attempt on May 31 appears to have preceded the Bali sabotage in the timeline of intent.
June 6
Bali Trip Aborted at Mumbai Airport
Ketan's father confirmed: "They were leaving for Bali on the 6th, four people were travelling to Bali together, but only Ketan's passport got stolen. Because of that, he couldn't go and had to return from the airport."
June 18
Fatal Trek — Lohagad Fort (Ketan killed)
Under the cover of a birthday trip for Siya, Ketan was brought to Lohagad Fort. Chetan arrived independently by two-wheeler and was already at the location. As the group climbed, Chetan followed. Police allege the two struck Ketan and pushed him approximately 350 feet into the valley. He died at the scene. Siya called police to report an accidental fall.
June 18–21
Initial Investigation — Suspicions Raised
Family members questioned the accident narrative. Ketan was described as an experienced trekker. A formal complaint was lodged. Police began examining mobile phones, social media accounts, and the statements of friends who were present.
June 24
Arrests — Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary
Pune Rural Police announced the arrest of both accused. A Magistrate Court remanded them to police custody until June 29. Charges: murder and criminal conspiracy. Both had confessed to the crime, according to SP Gill.
Key Figures in the Case
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The Wedding That Was Being Planned
To understand how completely this crime was hidden, it helps to understand what Ketan Agarwal's family believed was happening. Preparations were not just underway — they were extravagant. Relatives told media that the couple had booked a palace-style venue in Udaipur valued at ₹17 crore. Two private jets had reportedly been arranged to ferry guests to the destination wedding, planned for later this year.
Both families, by all accounts, were invested. There was no visible sign of fracture. The engagement appeared stable and the wedding imminent. This is precisely what makes the alleged deception so staggering in its scope: on the surface, everything was proceeding. Beneath it, if the charges hold, a 20-year-old was orchestrating her fiancé's death while sending wedding invitations.
"If she didn't want to get married, she could have simply refused. My son is no more. Siya and her boyfriend are entirely responsible for it."— Mother of Ketan Agarwal, statement to ANI
The grief in that sentence demands no elaboration. It also points to the single most searing question this case raises: why, in a country where broken engagements — while socially uncomfortable — are legally uncomplicated, was murder perceived as the only available option?
How the Police Cracked the Case in Days
The initial call from Siya Goyal, reporting Ketan's death as an accidental slip, might have held. Lohagad Fort has uneven, exposed sections. Falls happen. But investigators say multiple signals broke through the accident narrative almost immediately.
First, family members noted that Ketan was an experienced trekker — not the profile of someone who slips on a popular, well-trodden route. Second, his relatives formally disputed the accident version and filed a complaint. Third, Siya's behaviour during questioning struck investigators as evasive. That was enough to trigger a deeper probe.
Within days, police had gone through mobile phones and social media accounts. They discovered the relationship between Siya and Chetan. They traced the earlier visit to Lohagad on May 31. They reconstructed the Bali airport incident and matched it with phone records. By the time they called a press conference, SP Gill said both accused had already confessed.
The speed of the breakthrough — publicly acknowledged by Ketan's own father, who said the police "resolved the case very quickly" — reflects how digital evidence now anchors criminal investigations in India. A murder that might once have passed as an accident in a pre-smartphone era was unravelled through chat histories, location data, and call logs.
From a Suspicious Hoodie to a Bali Vacation, The Clues That Solved the Ketan Agarwal Murder
— upuknews (@upuknews1) June 24, 2026
A man wearing a hoodie in scorching 33-degree Celsius weather caught the attention of Pune investigators examining an incident involving businessman Ketan Agarwal and his fiancée Siya… pic.twitter.com/tpJrtJap8J
What Happens Next: The Legal Road Ahead
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The family has appealed to the Maharashtra government to fast-track the case. Ketan's mother has called for the death penalty. Under Indian law, murder under IPC Section 302 carries a punishment ranging from life imprisonment to the death sentence, the latter reserved for cases the courts designate as the "rarest of rare." Whether the premeditated, multi-attempt nature of this crime clears that bar will ultimately be a question for the Sessions Court.
The Larger Question This Case Forces Us to Ask
India's criminal courts see a steady stream of cases in which an unwanted engagement or marriage ends not in a refusal, but in violence. The social dynamics that make it difficult — sometimes, for young people, it feels impossible — to exit an arranged match without family rupture are well documented. This case does not justify that analysis. Nothing about Siya Goyal's alleged choices is explainable by social pressure alone. But it does sit inside that larger conversation about what options young people believe they have, and which they feel they don't.
The question Ketan's mother asked — why not simply refuse? — is the right one. It has no comfortable answer.
What is clear, legally, is that whatever the pressures on any individual, murder is not a legitimate exit from an engagement. And what is clear, humanly, is that a 26-year-old who had booked a palace wedding and arranged private jets for his guests was loved by a family that now has nothing left to plan.
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