₹14 crore, luxury Udaipur resort, ‘private jets’: Inside the Siya-Ketan big fat wedding that never happened

IT was supposed to be a grand nov wedding party in Udaipur - with a castle locale, enlarge arrangements and families preparing for the celebrations. Instead, the engagement between 25-year-old Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal and Siya Goyal is now at the centre of a murder investigation after police alleged that Siya. 20. And 22-year-old Chetan Chaudhary — believed to be a man she was in relationship with — conspired to kill Ketan at Lohagad Fort near Maharashtra's Lonavala on June 18.The exact motive behind the alleged crime is still being investigated, with multiple theories — mostly surrounding Siya's alleged reluctance to get married — emerging during the probe, the latest being that she was unhappy over Ketan wearing a wig.Ketan, 25, the son of businessman Vishal Agarwal, and Siya, 20, had got engaged in February, with their wedding fixed for November. According to police, the investigation later revealed that Siya and Chetan were allegedly in a relationship despite her engagement to Ketan.The big Indian wedding planThe estimates of the scale of the wedding celebrations have varied. While police sources cited by HT earlier said the families had booked a palace in Udaipur and were expected to spend around ₹14 crore on the celebrations, however, other reports have put the figure at as much as ₹17 crore.The arrangements included two private planes for guests, according to an NDTV report, citing sources. Preparations for the wedding were underway before Ketan's death. The wedding preparations, according to reports, had been in full swing before the alleged crime.Pooja Goyal, Siya's mother also told HT about the scale of wedding preparations, saying the families had planned an elaborate ceremony in Udaipur.“For the marriage, we had booked Ananta Resort in Udaipur. The cost was around ₹3 crore, and we were prepared to spend around ₹5 crore on the wedding,” she said.Ketan Agarwal death: What probe has found so farKetan, who was a director in Success Group and had completed a master's degree in entrepreneurship from Babson's F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business in Boston, had joined his family business in 2023.The relationship between the families had also appeared cordial. Police said Siya's family and Chetan's family knew each other through business circles.HT reported earlier that police had examined the call detail records of Siya and Chetan as part of the investigation. A senior police officer said the two spoke 2,004 times between January 1 and June 18, spending around 238 hours on calls during the period.Dinesh Tayade, senior police inspector at Lonavla rural police station and the investigation officer, told HT, "After analysing the CDR data between the two accused, it has come to our notice that there were over 2,004 calls between them, averaging around 8-10 calls per day." Pune Rural superintendent of police Sandeep Singh Gill told HT, "Yes, we have recovered calls and chats between Siya and her boyfriend, and further analysis of that data is ongoing."Police are investigating whether the alleged relationship and the pressure around the engagement played any role in the alleged conspiracy. An officer familiar with the probe told HT that investigators were looking into the possibility that Siya allegedly feared the social consequences of ending the engagement."Considering societal pressure and her family's image, she did not have the option to elope with Chetan. Hence, she might have decided to find a middle path to ensure she did not marry Ketan while keeping her family's status intact," the officer said.The ‘murder’ plan by Siya, ChetanPolice allege that instead of calling off the engagement, Siya and Chetan planned Ketan's killing and attempted to make it appear like an accidental fall during a trek. The case, however, is still under investigation and police are examining evidence to establish the sequence of events and the exact motive.But the probe into Ketan's death changed the narrative around the wedding plans. Police said a hoodie worn by Chetan on a hot June morning became one of the clues that raised suspicion. Senior police inspector Tayade earlier said, "When we checked the June 18 temperature, it was 33 degrees Celsius that morning. During scrutiny of CCTV footage from the foothills, we noticed a person wearing a hoodie with his head covered and also wearing headphones. This raised suspicion because such clothing was unusual considering the weather conditions." Investigators later identified the person as Chetan, who police alleged tried to avoid tracking by leaving his phone behind. Police said they are examining call records, chats, phone locations and other evidence as part of the ongoing probe.Ketan's father Vishal Agarwal had earlier said that Siya's behaviour after the death raised questions for the family."When the body was recovered and all our family members were in shock, Siya was behaving like a very normal person, which my daughter first noticed," he said.He added, "Maybe she was preparing for the countermove; hence, she was asking about further police action and process."