• Published: Jun 27 2026 05:42 PM
  • Last Updated: Jun 27 2026 06:00 PM

Pune Police have questioned the parents and brother of murder accused Siya Goyal in the Lohagad Fort case as investigators probe possible family knowledge and digital evidence.



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A day after a marathon ten-hour interrogation of Siya Goyal's brother, Pune Rural Police summoned her parents for questioning on Saturday — widening a probe into whether the family knew about the alleged conspiracy that killed her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal, at Lohagad Fort.

What Happened: From "Accidental Fall" to Murder Investigation

The Pune Fort murder case has moved through several distinct phases in just over a week, and Saturday's questioning of Siya Goyal's parents is the latest in a widening family-focused line of inquiry.

Ketan Agarwal, a 26-year-old director at his family's real estate firm in Pimpri-Chinchwad, died on June 18 after falling roughly 350–400 feet into a gorge at Lohagad Fort during what was reported as a trek with his fiancée and friends. The case was initially registered as an accidental fall before being converted into a murder investigation.

That changed within five days. Police announced that Agarwal had in fact been killed by his fiancée, Siya Goyal, along with her friend, Chetan Chaudhary. Investigators say two pieces of evidence cracked the case open: CCTV footage from the fort's ticket counter, and a deliberate effort by Chaudhary to fake his location during the time of the killing.

According to police, the ticket-counter footage showed a hooded man trailing Agarwal and Goyal despite the day's heat — temperatures around 33 degrees Celsius made the hoodie conspicuous, and investigators later identified the man as Chaudhary. Separately, investigators found that Chaudhary had left his own phone at his shop and carried an employee's phone to the fort instead, so that calls made to his number during the murder window were answered by someone else — a ruse that fell apart once the employee's phone was traced back to the Lohagad area.

Confronted with this evidence, Chaudhary was detained and reportedly confessed to the crime, while both he and Goyal were remanded to police custody until June 29 by a magistrate's court in Pune.

Quick Summary

Case

Murder of Ketan Agarwal (26), real estate executive, at Lohagad Fort, Maval taluka, near Lonavala

Date of incident

June 18, 2026

Main accused

Siya Goyal (20), Agarwal's fiancée, and Chetan Chaudhary (22), her alleged lover

Latest development

Goyal's parents, Praveen and Pooja Goyal, questioned by Lonavala Rural Police on June 27

Earlier development

Goyal's brother, Sahil Goyal, questioned for nearly 10 hours on June 26

Custody status

Both accused remanded to police custody until June 29

Legal track

Maharashtra government has ordered a fast-track trial; senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam appointed Special Public Prosecutor

A Pattern of Earlier Visits, Police Allege

Investigators believe the killing was not a single impulsive act but the result of planning over several weeks. Police allege Goyal repeatedly pushed for visits to Lohagad Fort — the couple first went on May 31, and she proposed a second trip on June 4 that Agarwal's mother reportedly talked him out of. More troublingly, police allege that on June 14, Goyal attempted to push Agarwal from the cliff edge, but he survived by grabbing onto a bush; when asked about it afterward, she reportedly claimed a snake had startled her.

siya goyal

Why It Matters: The Family Angle Now Under the Microscope

This is where the story's "new turn" comes in. Having established what investigators describe as the active roles of both main accused, police have shifted their focus to a different question: did anyone close to Goyal know what was happening before Agarwal died?

The Brother's Ten-Hour Interrogation

On Friday, June 26, police summoned Siya Goyal's brother, Sahil Goyal, for questioning that stretched to nearly ten hours before he was allowed to go home in the evening. An official from the Lonavala Rural Police Station said Sahil was questioned because he personally knows Chetan Chaudhary, and that investigators used the session to cross-check several details already gathered in the probe.

The session produced one of the case's more widely circulated lines. Sahil reportedly told investigators that the family would have called off the wedding immediately if Siya had simply said she did not want to marry Ketan.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Gajanan Tonpe, who is overseeing the Lonavala division's part of the investigation, indicated the family-questioning phase would not stop with Sahil. Tonpe said investigators had firmly established the active roles of both Goyal and Chaudhary, and confirmed that after questioning Siya's brother, police would call in other relatives and friends for further rounds of questioning.

Why Sahil Mattered to the Probe

A separate strand of reporting, published the same day as the parents' questioning, adds useful context for why Sahil specifically was held for so long. Investigators reportedly found that Siya used to accompany her brother to sporting tournaments, and believe she and Chetan Chaudhary first met during one such event before reconnecting later at a Diwali gathering in 2025 hosted by a mutual friend. Phone records examined by investigators are said to be extensive: between January and June 2026, Siya and Chetan exchanged roughly 2,004 calls. That volume of contact — sustained well after Goyal's February 2026 engagement to Agarwal — is part of why police wanted to establish exactly how much Sahil, as someone who knew both Siya and Chetan personally, was aware of.

The Parents Step In

That brings the case to Saturday, June 27, the day this article is being published. Siya Goyal's parents, Praveen and Pooja Goyal, appeared before the Pune Rural Police for questioning, a day after their son's marathon session with investigators.

According to reporting on the questioning, police are trying to determine whether the family knew about Siya's relationship with Chetan Chaudhary, and whether they had any inkling of an alleged plot against Agarwal. The scope of questions reportedly put to the parents was specific and pointed:

  • Whether they were aware Siya did not want to marry Agarwal, or felt pressured into the engagement
  • Whether they knew Siya continued meeting Chaudhary after her engagement
  • Whether they were aware of Sahil's friendship with Chaudhary
  • Whether they knew about three separate visits the trio is alleged to have made to Lohagad Fort before the killing
  • Whether they had any knowledge of a plan to harm Agarwal

Both Goyal and Chaudhary remain in police custody, having been remanded for seven days for further investigation.

What the Two Families Have Said Publicly

The case has produced unusually candid public statements from both sides of the tragedy, and they're worth recording precisely because they show two families responding very differently to the same event.

Siya's mother, Pooja Goyal, has said she was devastated by the news and that justice must be served regardless of who is responsible — even, in her words, if her own daughter is found guilty. Siya's father, Praveen Goyal, has separately told reporters that the family had no prior knowledge of any romantic involvement between Siya and Chetan, insisting that Chetan had never visited their home and that Siya only spoke to Ketan once she got engaged.

On the other side, Ketan's father, Vishal Agarwal, has spoken about the loss of his son in deeply personal terms, noting that he had expected Ketan to support him in his old age. Vishal has also pushed back publicly on one detail that circulated about Ketan's appearance, maintaining it could not plausibly have been a motive for murder. He has also met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to press for swift justice and reportedly raised the possibility of capital punishment for the accused.

What Happens Next: Legal Process and Investigation Timeline

The case is now moving on two tracks simultaneously — the ongoing police investigation into who else may have known what, and the legal machinery that will eventually decide the accused's fate.

Fast-Track Court and Special Prosecutor

The Maharashtra government has agreed to a fast-track trial and appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam, a high-profile criminal prosecutor, as the Special Public Prosecutor for the case. This decision followed Vishal Agarwal's meeting with Chief Minister Fadnavis, who described the killing as deeply troubling and called for broader social reflection on why young, educated people from stable families might develop such intent.

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FAQ

Police are recording statements to understand family interactions, verify timelines and determine whether anyone had prior knowledge of the alleged relationship or events leading to the murder.

No. Police have questioned them, but no charges against the family have been announced.

The victim is 25-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal, who died after falling from Lohagad Fort on June 18.

Investigators allege that Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary conspired to push Ketan Agarwal off the fort after planning the murder.

Police are examining deleted chats, call records, mobile phones and internet searches to establish planning and communication between the accused.

The investigation is ongoing. The Maharashtra government has directed that the matter be handled through a fast-track court once legal procedures are completed.

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