Siya Goyal’s house deserted; neighbours unaware

2 min readPuneJun 24, 2026 01:09 AM IST

Ketan Agarwal's father (left) with his son's framed portrait; fiancée and alleged killer Siya Praveen Goyal. (Express Photo, enhanced with AI)

Siya Goyal’s house in Bibwewadi was deserted on Tuesday evening with the black metal gate inside the huge mansion padlocked and not a soul in sight. Goyal was arrested after allegedly conspiring with her lover Chetan Chaudhary to murder her fiancee Ketan Agarwal by pushing him off Lohagad Fort.

Her family has been involved in the dry fruit business. Residents around the area seemed unaware of Goyal’s arrest earlier in the day. A resident of a neighbouring housing society said, “We did not even know that such a thing had happened. We have not heard anything about it.”

Another resident added, “We played cricket with the family members of the Goyal family when we were younger. The Goyals were Marwadis and owned a business. That’s all the interaction we had with them. But we have never heard about any issues that the family had with anyone else before this at all.”

“This is a very mixed neighbourhood with Muslims, Bohris, Hindus, and even some Christians living here. We have a temple and a mosque very close by. We all live in harmony and there is never any issue. This is the first time we are hearing of such a thing in our neighbourhood,” he added.

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting.

Professional Background

Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune.

Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics.

Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories:

1. Investigations & Governance

"Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents.

"44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families.

2. Education & Campus Life

Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University.

"Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial.

"Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers.

3. Human Rights & Social Issues

"Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India.

"'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying.

Signature Style

Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty.

X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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