Pune Murder Case: Ketan Agarwal's Father Meets CM Fadnavis, Seeks Death Penalty For Accused
Ketan Agarwal's father, Vishal Agarwal, met Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in Pune today. He says, "I have urged the CM that the accused should at least get the death penalty. The CM assured me that this case will be fast-tracked. I have been told that an SIT has been formed in the case."
Pune: In the latest update related to the recent disturbing case of 26-year-old Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal, who was tragically pushed off a 400-foot cliff at Lohagad Fort allegedly by his fiancée, the deceased's father, Vishal Agarwal, met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Pune today. He says, "I have urged the CM that the accused should at least get the death penalty. The CM assured me that this case will be fast-tracked. I have been told that an SIT has been formed in the case."
Investigation into this case has brought many details to light; including Siya’s parents stating that the alliance was only confirmed after repeatedly asking for her consent. They also mentioned how she seemed to have no qualms and looked the perfect happy bride-to-be.
What was initially dismissed as a tragic trekking accident at Lohagad Fort near Pune has unraveled into a chilling, calculated murder plot. Ketan who was the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of a family-run real estate business called Success Group, was engaged to Siya Goyal, 20, a 2nd year BBA student, in February 2026, with a lavish destination wedding planned for November. However, Siya was secretly involved in a relationship with Chetan Babulal Choudhary, since November 2025. Viewing Ketan as an obstacle, the duo spent seven months plotting his elimination, exchanging over 2,004 phone calls, reaching to a total of 238 hours.
Their plans were meticulous and repetitive. First, Siya allegedly hid Ketan’s passport at the airport to sabotage their pre-wedding photoshoot in Bali, which Ketan’s father had reported to the police as suspicious upon inquiry. Then, on June 14, she attempted to push him during a visit to Lohagad Fort, but when Ketan managed to save himself by grabbing a cliff-side bush, Siya covered her tracks by screaming about a fake snake and hugging him.
On June 18, the duo tried again at the same fort, only this time successfully allegedlypushing Ketan into a deep gorge. However, their execution left clues behind. CCTV footage captured Siya and Ketan walking together, closely shadowed by a man in shorts, a headset, and a heavy hoodie despite the intense summer heat. Suspicion deepened when cameras showed the hooded man immediately ducking down the moment Siya glanced back at him.
Knowing Ketan’s history as an outdoor person with experience in trekking, it was unbelievable that he had died from a fall, and after his family filed an official report, the police used technical analysis to link Siya and Chetan’s call histories and matched social media profiles to identify the hooded man.
Furthermore, Siya's lack of grief following her fiancé’s death raised flags for both investigators and Ketan's family; his sister had noticed that Siya’s responses felt off, although after it was public, Siya shared an emotional story on Instagram captioned, “You left me on my birthday. You left when we were so close to getting married. I still can't understand why you did this to me. I had dreams, questions I'll never get answers to. Why did you leave me when I loved you so much? Rest in peace.”
Siya Goyal and Chetan Choudhary have been arrested on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, exposing a grim reality hidden beneath romantic social media posts and grand wedding plans. While the intricate digital trail, the 33°C hoodie anomaly, and the calculated assassination plots have filled the true-crime headlines, the deeper societal reaction elaborates on a social and digital discourse.
Pravin Goyal, the father of the prime-accused who is now receiving treatment at a hospital following his recent heart attack after the news, has publicly declared that however hard it is for them to believe that their daughter would be capable of such a thing, whosoever is found guilty should be faced with the strictest possible punishment even if it would be his own daughter, going as far as to say that she should be pushed from the same fort where Ketan died.
The father of the victim, Vishal Agarwal, has met with the Chief Minister and urged him that the accused must at least get the death penalty, after which he was reassured that the case would be fast-tracked.
This article is written by Hannah Judith Johnson, a student of Tezpur Central University, interning with Deccan Chronicle.
