As part of the plan, his fiancée took him to Lohagad Fort under the pretext of an outing, while her lover was called to the spot later, after which the duo then allegedly pushed Agarwal off the fort, leading to his death, police said. File
|
In a big twist in the death of real estate firm director Ketan Vishal Agrawal, police on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) arrested his fiancée and her lover for allegedly pushing him into a deep gorge off Lohagad Fort in Pune and passing it off as an accident, officials said.
While the incident, which occurred on June 18, was initially believed to be a case of an accidental fall at the historic Lohagad Fort, the investigation pointed to a murder conspiracy, they said.
Agarwal (26), a resident of Gahunje in Pune district and director of a family-run real estate business, was found dead in a gorge near the fort on June 18.
The police had then said Agarwal fell nearly 400 feet into the gorge while taking photographs during a trek with his fiancée and friends amid strong winds at the fort.
An accidental death report was registered after his fiancée, Siya Goyal, told the Lonavala rural police that Agarwal had slipped and fallen while the couple was on an outing at the hill fort.
Agarwal was scheduled to marry Ms. Goyal later this year. It was learned that the families had made elaborate wedding preparations, including booking a palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, for the ceremony.
Superintendent of Police, Pune rural, Sandip Singh Gill, said the circumstances surrounding the death appeared suspicious, which prompted police to investigate the case thoroughly.
“Our teams examined multiple angles, including financial disputes and personal relationships. During the probe, police allegedly found that Ms. Goyal was in a relationship with another man, identified as Chetan Babulal Chaudhary (22), a resident of Kondhwa in Pune,” he said.
The investigation showed that Ms. Goyal was unwilling to marry Agarwal and considered him an obstacle to her relationship with Mr. Chaudhary, the official said.
The two allegedly conspired to eliminate Agarwal. As part of the plan, Ms. Goyal took him to Lohagad Fort under the pretext of an outing, while Mr. Chaudhary was called to the spot later. The duo then allegedly pushed Agarwal off the fort, leading to his death, police said.
Based on suspicion, the local crime branch took Mr. Chaudhary into custody. During interrogation, it emerged that since Agarwal was becoming an obstacle in Mr. Chaudhary’s relationship with Ms. Goyal, both of them plotted to eliminate her fiancé.
Ms. Goyal was also arrested based on Mr. Chaudhary’s interrogation, the police said.
“Following a complaint lodged by Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal, the Lonavala rural police registered a case of murder and criminal conspiracy under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on Tuesday (June 23, 2026),” Mr. Gill said.
Further investigation is underway to establish the exact sequence of events, collect forensic evidence and determine if other persons were involved in the alleged conspiracy, police officials said.
Lohagad Fort is linked to the history of the Maratha Empire founder Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is one of the 12 forts in Maharashtra listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Published – June 23, 2026 05:48 pm IST
