Siya’s brother knew of her relationship with Chetan: Police

PUne: law probing the suspected dispatch of Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal at Lohagad fort up on fri said accused Siya Goyal’s comrade, Sahil Goyal, had known about her relationship with co-accused Chetan Chaudhary and had advised her to end it as she was engaged to Ketan.Ketan died on June 18 after falling from Lohagad Fort. Police are investigating the case as a suspected murder. His fiancée, Siya, and her friend Chetan have been arrested and are in police custody.Investigators questioned Sahil for over two hours about when he learnt of the relationship and whether other family members were aware of it.“Sahil told us he had learnt about Siya and Chetan’s relationship several months ago. Concerned about its implications, he advised his sister to end the relationship since she was already engaged to Ketan,” a senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said.According to investigators, Sahil and Chetan became acquainted in 2024 through cricket, following which Chetan befriended Siya.So far, Pune Rural Police has recorded statements of 10 people, including Neeraj Kumar, an employee at Chetan’s shop, and taken family members of both the accused and the victim to the fort to reconstruct the sequence of events.Investigators said Siya and Chetan allegedly remained in a close relationship despite preparations for her marriage. During interrogation, both have reportedly blamed each other for Ketan’s death, forcing investigators to rely on forensic evidence, digital records and witness statements.According to another officer, Siya was reportedly reluctant to marry Ketan after learning that he wore a wig because of baldness. The officer said, “Ketan had undergone expensive hair treatment for his hair-loss condition. Ketan’s family has claimed that the Goyal family had been informed that he wore a small hair patch.”The probe also intensified after police found that the accused had allegedly deleted their phone chats and emptied the recycle bins before and after the crime. “Their phones have been sent to a forensic laboratory to recover the deleted data,” Gajanan Tonpe, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Lonavla division, said.Meanwhile, Siya’s mother, Pooja Goyal, claimed her daughter had initially refused to accompany Ketan to Lohagad Fort and agreed only after his mother persuaded her during a video call on June 17.“Siya told her that she did not want to go trekking as there was a function the following day and she wanted to rest,” Pooja claimed.She also maintained that Siya never expressed dissatisfaction with the marriage and that the family was unaware of Chetan. “If the investigation reveals she is guilty, then give her the harshest punishment,” she said.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who met Ketan’s father Vishal Agarwal on Friday, assured the family of full support, approved the setting up of a fast-track court for the case and accepted the family’s request to appoint senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor.