Pune Police's financial trail uncovers how Rs 1 crore meant for wedding shopping became the fuel for an alleged murder conspiracy — and a possible motive far more calculated than a crime of passion
The Ketan Agarwal murder case took its most damning turn yet on June 29, when police sources revealed that Siya Goyal, the victim's own fiancée, allegedly extracted nearly Rs 1 crore from Ketan in the name of wedding shopping — and then handed the entire sum to Chetan Chaudhary, the man she was secretly involved with, to help "set up his career." It is a detail that reframes the entire case: not just a love triangle that ended in violence, but, investigators now suspect, a financially calculated plan that ran for months before the fatal push at Lohagad Fort on June 18.
This article pulls together everything verified so far — the money trail, the timeline of the murder, the legal proceedings, and what is likely to happen next in court — so you don't need to piece it together from five different headlines.
What Happened: The Rs 1 Crore Money Trail
According to police sources cited by NDTV, Goyal had sought around Rs 1 crore from Agarwal, claiming it was required for wedding shopping and other marriage-related expenses. But that money never went toward the wedding. Instead, she allegedly handed the entire amount to Chaudhary to help him establish his career and improve his financial condition, according to the IANS report.
A separate report citing News18 corroborates this: Siya allegedly obtained Rs 1 crore from Ketan, claiming she needed the money for wedding shopping, and police allege she subsequently transferred the amount to Chetan, who intended to use the funds to establish his business.
Regional outlets add a striking detail about Chaudhary's own stated intentions with the money. According to one report, Chetan said he would be in a better financial position within three years after receiving the money, and his plan was to meet Siya's family a few months after Ketan's death to discuss the marriage — suggesting the couple may have envisioned a future together that depended entirely on Ketan being out of the picture first.
It's worth noting: at this stage, these are police sources and investigative leads, not yet a fact established in court. The financial trail still needs to be backed by bank statements, transaction records, and forensic verification before it becomes formal evidence in the chargesheet.
Quick Facts: The Case So Far
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Why It Matters: From "Accidental Fall" to Premeditated Conspiracy
When Ketan Agarwal died on June 18, the incident was initially treated as a tragic accident — a man losing his footing while taking photographs in strong winds at a popular trekking spot. That changed quickly. Investigators grew suspicious, and within days the case was reclassified as murder.
This Rs 1 crore detail matters because it does something most "love triangle" murder narratives don't: it gives police a financial motive trail that can be independently verified through bank records, UPI transactions, and account statements — evidence that is far harder to contest in court than testimony alone. If confirmed through forensic audit, it strengthens the conspiracy charge against both Siya and Chetan by showing intent and planning that predates the murder by months, not days.
It also explains, in part, why investigators believe the crime was "meticulously planned." According to police, the duo had agreed on a pre-decided signal — Goyal sitting down on the pretext of drinking water or tying her shoelaces — to indicate to Chaudhary that the moment to push Agarwal had arrived. Police believe this signal served a dual purpose: alerting Chaudhary while also keeping Goyal at a safe distance, reducing the chance Agarwal could grab her while falling.
Call data is reportedly central to the prosecution's case. Sources said Goyal allegedly spoke to Chaudhary roughly 34 minutes before the incident, which investigators suspect was a final confirmation call before the murder.
The Bigger Picture: A Timeline of Premeditation
Piecing together verified reports, here is how the day of the murder reportedly unfolded, according to a detailed reconstruction:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Importantly, this wasn't necessarily the first attempt. One report notes that investigators are also examining a failed murder attempt allegedly made in May, which — if substantiated — would push the conspiracy timeline back even further than the June 18 incident itself.
Police also reportedly recreated the crime scene. On Sunday, police took Siya to Lohagad Fort and used a dummy to reconstruct the sequence of events, with officials saying the accused had admitted to scouting the location in advance and even conducting a "practice" run.
#BREAKING : A new twist has emerged in the Ketan Agarwal murder case. Police sources claim that accused Siya Goyal allegedly received ₹1 crore from her fiancé for wedding shopping but instead transferred the money to her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, to support his career.… pic.twitter.com/9iNm23rERH
— upuknews (@upuknews1) June 29, 2026
A Family Pressured Into a Wedding?
Beyond the money and the murder mechanics, investigators are exploring a possible psychological motive. During questioning, Siya allegedly told investigators she did not want to marry Ketan and conspired with Chetan to kill him because she believed calling off the wedding would bring disgrace to her family.
This is corroborated by separate reporting: police suspect Siya was not ready to marry at this stage of her life and was facing pressure from her family to go ahead with the wedding. One investigative report adds further texture, noting that investigators allege Siya's parents were aware of her closeness to Chaudhary since a January community cricket match, but the family reportedly ignored her feelings to secure the marriage, motivated by the Agarwal family's greater wealth.
The scale of the planned wedding adds weight to this theory. Siya's father has publicly disputed the wildest claims about cost, clarifying to reporters: "It is true that the wedding was to take place in Udaipur. The hotel charged around Rs 81,000 per couple per day, and we had booked 70 rooms. Our total expenditure was not more than Rs 3 crore." This is a useful corrective — some viral reports had claimed figures as high as Rs 17 crore with chartered planes, which the family has pushed back against.
What Happens Next: The Legal Road Ahead
As of June 29, the case has reached a procedural turning point. A magistrate court near Pune had remanded both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary to seven days of police custody on June 23, after invoking charges of murder and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. That custody period expired on Monday, June 29, prompting a fresh court hearing where investigators sought an extension while the defence pushed back.
Notably, Siya's lawyer, Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava, argued ahead of the hearing that his client had cooperated fully with the investigation and that the court should consider sending her to judicial custody instead, given that she is a 20-year-old woman. Chaudhary's counsel had earlier made a separate legal argument during the first remand hearing — that the case was originally treated as accidental death, and that the murder and conspiracy charges were added only about ten days later, making the arrest one based on suspicion rather than direct evidence.
On the investigative side, momentum is clearly building. The Maharashtra government has approved a fast-track trial and appointed Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam — known for prosecuting 26/11 attacker Ajmal Kasab — as Special Public Prosecutor. Forensic teams have also been active: Chaudhary's two-wheeler, along with a hoodie and headphones he wore on the day of the crime, have been seized and forensically examined, though detailed findings from that examination have not yet been disclosed.
Other Articles to Read:
