Passport trick, 3 dates, final push: Chilling plot behind Lohagad fort murder

3 min readPuneUpdated: Jun 23, 2026 04:52 PM IST

Ketan died after a fall during a Lohagad Fort trip with Siya. (Image enhanced using AI)

The investigation into 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal’s death after a fall from Lohagad Fort near Pune, an incident initially thought to be an accident, has led the police to a murder conspiracy, allegedly plotted by his fiancee Siya Goyal and her lover Chetan Chaudhary. The couple has been arrested as the cops unravel their sinister plan one layer at a time.

Ketan, son of prominent real-estate businessman Vishal Agarwal and a director in the family-run firm, visited Lohagad Fort, about 50 km from Pune, on June 18. Later that day, Siya called up the police and informed them that Ketan slipped during a trek in the fort and fell 400 feet into a gorge while trying to click photographs. His body was recovered, and a case of accidental death was registered. Ketan’s family, however, was not fully convinced. And as the investigation deepened, a chilling murder plot came to light.

A grand wedding plan

Ketan Agarwal, a resident of Gahunje in Pune district, was from a prominent business family and held the post of director in the family’s realty firm. His family found a match for him in 20-year-old Siya Goyal. Siya’s family was in the dry fruits business; she was a commerce student also trying her hand at a bakery business.

The wedding was scheduled for later this year. The two families, it is learned, had made elaborate wedding preparations, including booking a palace in Udaipur for the grand ceremony.

Lohagad Fort, about 50 km from Pune, is a UNESCO World Heritage site

A killer love triangle

While the families were excited for the big fat wedding, Ketan had walked into a love triangle. Siya was in a relationship with Chetan Chaudhary (22). Both their families were in the dry fruits business.

“Our probe has revealed that Siya and Chetan were in a relationship. Siya was engaged to Ketan, but she did not want to marry him. So, she and Chetan hatched a conspiracy. Siya took Ketan to Lohagad Fort on June 18. Chetan was already there. As the two climbed up the hill fort, Chetan followed them. Then he and Siya pushed Ketan off the cliff. We have arrested both of them,” Pune Rural police chief, Sandeep Singh Gill, told the media on Tuesday. The two have been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy.

Passport sabotage, 2 failed attempts

Police have also found how Siya allegedly sabotaged a pre-wedding trip and got Ketan to visit the fort as part of her plan. The would-be bride and groom were to visit Bali for a pre-wedding photo shoot earlier this month.

Story continues below this ad

“In the first week of June, they had a plan to go to Bali for a pre-wedding shoot. They went to Mumbai to leave for Bali, but Ketan’s passport went missing at the airport. They had to return. In our probe, it has come to light that Siya hid Ketan’s passport to avoid going to Bali with him,” Gill said. The senior police officer said Siya got Ketan to visit Lohagad twice before June 18, but the murder plot could not be executed during those two visits.

Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010.

Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune.

Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:

Pune crime

Pune murder