Siya Goyal and Chetan shift blame as Pune murder investigation continues

AFter allegedly plotting and executing the slay of Pune man of affairs Ketan Agarwal to top the path for their human relationship, the two prime accused - his fiancee Siya Goyal and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary - have turned against each other during police interrogation, with each attempting to pin the conspiracy on the other.Investigators probing the June 18 murder said the blame game appears to be part of the duo's defence strategy. However, police maintain that the evidence collected so far points to a premeditated conspiracy in which both played active roles.Each blames the other for murder plotAccording to Pune Rural Police, Chetan initially claimed that he wanted to elope with Siya Goyal and that murdering Ketan was her idea. Siya, on the other hand, allegedly told investigators that it was Chetan who devised the plan and even broke down after they failed to kill Ketan during an earlier visit to Lohagad Fort on June 14."Initially, both tried to shift the blame onto each other, which is a common tendency among criminals during interrogation.However, Siya eventually admitted that she hatched the conspiracy and Chetan was also involved in the planning," a police official associated with the investigation said.Police said Chetan had initially claimed that although he was present at the fort, he never reached the spot where Ketan was pushed into the gorge and did not know what had happened.Investigators, however, said his version did not match the evidence, following which both eventually admitted their respective roles and narrated the sequence of events.Pre-decided signal before fatal pushInvestigators said the murder was carried out according to a pre-planned script. As per the plan, Siya was to give Chetan a signal by sitting down.Once she did so, Chetan allegedly approached from behind and pushed an unsuspecting Ketan off the cliff."They have told us what happened and how it happened. Ketan had no idea what was coming. He was pushed into the gorge before he realised anything," a police official said.When asked why they did not simply elope instead of murdering Ketan, both accused allegedly told investigators that running away together would have brought disrepute to their families.The case relates to the June 18 death of 25-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal, who was allegedly pushed into a gorge at Lohagad Fort near Pune.Siya initially claimed Ketan had accidentally slipped while taking photographs, and the death was first treated as an accident before the investigation uncovered evidence suggesting murder.Months of planning, failed attemptsPolice said the investigation has revealed that Siya and Chetan had been in a relationship since October 2025 after meeting during Diwali celebrations. Despite getting engaged to Ketan on February 19, Siya allegedly did not want to marry him.Investigators said the duo made several failed attempts to kill Ketan before succeeding on June 18.Siya allegedly first tried to push Ketan off the fort on May 31, but he survived after grabbing vegetation. She allegedly claimed she had pushed him to save him from a snake.Police also said Siya repeatedly tried to persuade Ketan to revisit Lohagad Fort. One planned visit on June 4 did not materialise after his mother refused permission, while another attempt on June 14 allegedly failed.The probe has also revealed that Siya allegedly sabotaged the couple's planned pre-wedding shoot in Bali by stealing Ketan's passport to ensure the trip was cancelled.According to investigators, analysis of call detail records showed Siya and Chetan exchanged more than 2,000 calls over the past year while carrying on their relationship in secret.Ketan and Siya got engaged on February 19 after their families met at a wedding in Karnataka earlier that month. They were scheduled to marry later this year in a destination wedding at a palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, for which two chartered flights had reportedly been booked for guests. Police said Siya did not want to go ahead with the marriage.Digital evidence strengthens caseOn the day of the murder, police allege Siya met Chetan at a cafe before taking Ketan to Lohagad Fort. CCTV footage later showed a hooded man, allegedly Chetan, following the couple to the fort despite the hot weather, raising investigators' suspicion. Police have also recovered digital evidence, including internet searches allegedly made by the accused on ways to kill a person before the murder. Investigators say the electronic trail, CCTV footage, forensic evidence and witness statements collectively establish that the killing was a carefully planned conspiracy rather than a spontaneous act.Siya and Chetan were arrested on June 23 and are in police custody as the investigation continues.