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Ketan Agarwal Murder: Conspiracy, Digital Lures, and a Fatal Fall at Lohagad Fort

By Drooid · · How we work

Core Event – Fatal Push at Lohagad Fort

On June 18, 26-year-old realtor Ketan Agarwal was pushed off the cliff at Lohagad Fort near Pune and died from the fall. Police arrested his fiancée Siya Pravin Goyal, her alleged lover Chetan Babulaal Chaudhary, and associate Ritesh Sanjay Hange. All three remain in judicial custody; a 5,053-page chargesheet details the alleged murder plot.

Background & Context

Ketan and Siya were engaged on February 19, 2026; their wedding was slated for November in Udaipur. Investigators say Siya’s family arranged the match, but she had been in a relationship with Chetan since October 2025. Police also probed a rumored secret marriage between Siya and Chetan in Rajasthan’s Khatu Shyam temple in December 2025, but found no official record or CCTV evidence.

Timeline of Key Developments

  • May 29 – Siya and Ketan trekked Lohagad; investigators allege she identified a location for a push.
  • May 31 – Siya took Ketan to Lohagad for the first time, planning a second visit on June 4 (canceled by Ketan’s mother).
  • June 6 – During a pre-wedding photoshoot, Siya allegedly tore Ketan’s passport and discarded it in a café washroom, aborting a planned trip to Bali.
  • June 14 – Police claim Siya tried to push Ketan from a cliff; he clung to a bush and survived.
  • June 18 – Using a fabricated Instagram account “Mahi,” the trio lured Ketan to Lohagad for a birthday surprise; Goyal pushed him while Chaudhary kicked him, causing the fatal fall.

Planning and Digital Deception

The chargesheet alleges the conspirators created the fake Instagram profile “Mahi,” using a photograph of a known woman, to chat with Ketan and persuade him to visit the fort on the eve of Siya’s birthday (June 19). Messages framed the meeting as a surprise celebration.

Investigators say the trio studied the 2025 Meghalaya “honeymoon” murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, watched murder-themed films, and listened to podcasts on evading police detection. They conducted reconnaissance of multiple hill locations, ultimately selecting Lohagad because a prior death there in March 2025 could help the incident appear accidental.

Data & Statistics

  • Witness testimony: statements from over 100 individuals, including five eyewitnesses.
  • Evidence submitted: mobile-phone data, WhatsApp chats, photographs, call-detail records, technical analysis, gait analysis, CCTV footage, and forensic medical reports.

Official Statements & Responses

Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill said the investigation relied heavily on digital, cyber, and forensic evidence, and that the chargesheet outlines a pre-meditated plan to kill Ketan rather than merely injure him. He noted the conspirators initially explored hiring an outsider but abandoned the idea over fear of exposure.

Verbatim Quotes

  • “We have submitted a 5,053-page chargesheet before the Vadgaon Maval court today.” — Sandeep Singh Gill

Why It Matters

The case shows how social-media manipulation and digital forensics intersect in modern homicide investigations. The fabricated Instagram identity highlights vulnerabilities in online trust, while the extensive digital trail demonstrates law-enforcement’s capacity to reconstruct conspiratorial behavior.

Conflicting Reports & Gaps

Police inquiries into the alleged secret Rajasthan marriage produced no official documentation or CCTV confirmation, leaving that aspect unresolved. No other sources provide contradictory facts about the core events, but the absence of marriage records remains a noted gap.