Cancelled Bali Trip, Snakebite Claims, Hoodie In 33°C Heat: Clues That Exposed Siya

What was initially treated as an accidental fall at Lohagad Fort near Lonavala has turned into a murder and criminal conspiracy case, with the victim’s fiancée and her alleged lover arrested.

Businessman Ketan Vishal Agarwal had visited Lohagad Fort with his fiancée, Siya Goyal, on June 18. The outing was planned as a birthday trip for Siya, who was to turn 20 the next day.

Siya initially told police that Ketan had slipped while taking photographs near the fort and fallen into a valley. Police registered an accidental death report and, at first, the case appeared to be an accident.

However, doubts raised by Ketan’s family prompted investigators to revisit the case.

Family Questions The Accident Theory

Ketan’s family said he was an experienced trekker who knew Lohagad Fort well and had visited the site earlier. They questioned how he could have lost his balance so easily at the spot where he fell.

Police subsequently began a detailed investigation, examining CCTV footage, mobile location data and the movements of people present at the fort on June 18.

Hoodie In 33°C Heat Raises Suspicion

A key lead emerged from CCTV footage captured at the foothills of Lohagad Fort.

Police spotted a person wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head and headphones. Senior Police Inspector Dinesh Tayade and his team checked weather records and found that the temperature on the morning of June 18 was 33 degrees Celsius.

The clothing appeared unusual for the weather, prompting investigators to trace the person’s movements. Police later identified him as Chetan Chaudhary, whom they described as Siya Goyal’s lover.

“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,” Tayade said, as per reports.

Police said the detail helped them narrow their suspect list and link Chaudhary to the scene.

Phone Left At Home, Police Trace Movements

As the investigation progressed, police found that Chaudhary had allegedly left his mobile phone at his home in Kondhwa before travelling to Lohagad Fort. Investigators believe this may have been an attempt to avoid digital tracking.

However, police said CCTV footage and call detail records enabled them to reconstruct his movements. Chaudhary and Goyal were subsequently called in for questioning.

More Than 2,000 Calls, Alleged Plot At Café

Investigators found that Goyal and Chaudhary had been in frequent contact for months. According to officials, their call records showed that they had exchanged more than 2,000 calls, PTI reported.

Police also said the two met at a café before the incident, where they allegedly discussed how and where an “accident” could be staged inside Lohagad Fort.

According to the police reconstruction, Chaudhary reached the fort before Ketan and Siya on June 18. Ketan and Siya arrived later.

Investigators allege that the two accused led Ketan to an isolated area of the fort, where he was pushed into the valley. He died after the fall.

A Failed Attempt Four Days Earlier

Police are also examining an earlier incident at Lohagad Fort.

Four days before Ketan’s death, he and Siya had visited the fort together. Ketan’s father later told police that Ketan felt someone push him from behind during that trek, but managed to hold on to nearby shrubs.

Siya reportedly told him that she had seen a snake and was trying to help him.

Ketan had reportedly spoken to his family about Siya’s behaviour, saying she was frequently on her phone and had mentioned a man named Chetan. Since the two families knew each other through business circles, Ketan’s father reassured him that there was nothing to worry about.

“We thought about delaying the wedding because she was so young but her parents insisted that we go ahead with it as they would not find a match like my son,” Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal, told HT.

Missing Passport, Cancelled Bali Plan

Investigators also looked into the cancellation of Ketan and Siya’s planned Bali trip for a pre-wedding photoshoot.

The trip was cancelled at Mumbai airport after Ketan’s passport went missing. Ketan’s family alleged that Siya may have taken the passport during a stop in Lonavala, leading to the cancellation.

The Hidden Relationship

Ketan and Siya got engaged in February and were scheduled to marry in November. Their families had booked a palace in Udaipur for the wedding, which was planned as a ₹14-crore ceremony.

During the investigation, police found that Siya and Chaudhary had allegedly been in a relationship for more than a year, a fact Ketan’s family was unaware of.

Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary have been arrested and charged with murder and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. PTI reported that both have been remanded to seven days of police custody.

The investigation is still ongoing.