Ketan Agarwal murder case: Fiancée used secret signal before lover pushed Pune realtor off Lohagad Fort, say police

Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal's fiancée, Siya Goyal, allegedly used a pre-decided signal to alert her lover, Chetan Chaudhary, moments before Agarwal was pushed off Lohagad Fort, police said on Sunday.

As reported by PTI, investigators said thta Goyal sat down near the cliff edge — either on the pretext of drinking water or tying her shoelaces — to signal Chaudhary to carry out the attack. The move was also intended to ensure she remained out of Agarwal's reach during the fatal push.

Goyal (20) and Chaudhary (22) have been arrested for allegedly conspiring to murder 25-year-old Agarwal by pushing him into a gorge at Lohagad Fort in Pune district on June 18.


Police said the signal was carefully chosen to protect Goyal. Investigators believe the duo feared that Agarwal might instinctively grab Goyal while falling if she was standing nearby, potentially pulling her into the gorge as well.

"The signal was selected deliberately so that Goyal would not be within the victim's reach during the push. The plan was made keeping her safety in mind," an official involved in the probe said.

Investigators also found that Chaudhary took steps to conceal his movements on the day of the crime. Instead of driving a car, he travelled nearly 90 km from Pune to Lohagad Fort on a scooter to avoid being detected at toll plazas.

"Chaudhary travelled to the fort on a scooter because he feared a car could be traced through toll records. We have seized the vehicle," a police officer said.

After the alleged murder, Chaudhary returned to Pune on the same scooter, police said.

The investigation further revealed that Chaudhary altered his appearance at the fort. He reportedly climbed the fort wearing a hoodie, later removed it and remained in a black T-shirt before putting the hoodie back on while leaving. Police suspect the move was aimed at avoiding attention.

On Sunday, police took Goyal to Lohagad Fort to reconstruct the crime scene, using a dummy to recreate the sequence of events that led to Agarwal's death.

Officials said the reconstruction exercise was conducted to establish the exact chain of events. Investigators also claim the accused had previously visited the fort to identify a suitable location for the crime and had conducted "practice" sessions beforehand.

"We are still trying to determine where they carried out the practice," an official said.

With the police custody of both accused ending on Monday, investigators are expected to seek an extension of their remand. Police have also recorded statements from Goyal's father, mother and brother as part of the ongoing investigation.