PUNE: Siya Goyal and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, had initially planned to injure her fiancé, realtor Ketan Agarwal, to delay their wedding, but later decided to kill him after concluding that the plan was too risky, police said on Tuesday.Investigators alleged that the duo spent weeks scouting locations, watching suspense films and carrying out online searches before allegedly pushing Agarwal off a cliff at Lohagad Fort and trying to make his death appear accidental.Police said the urgency to execute the plan increased ahead of Goyal and Agarwal’s scheduled trip to Bali in early June.According to investigators, the accused discussed different methods of killing Agarwal and eventually decided that pushing him off a cliff would leave behind little evidenceA police officer said they explored several locations, including Tiger Point in Lonavala and Visapur Fort, before finalising Lohagad Fort near Pune.“The accused had explored multiple locations, including Tiger Point, Visapur Fort and a few other forts in the region, before settling on Lohagad Fort. They exchanged photographs of these places and assessed which location would best suit their objective of making the death appear accidental while leaving behind no evidence,” the officer said.
Police have arrested Goyal (20) and Chaudhary (22) in connection with the June 18 death of 26-year-old Agarwal, who was allegedly pushed into a gorge at Lohagad Fort.Investigators claimed the duo conspired to kill Agarwal because he had become an obstacle in their relationship.Police said they were worried about the future of their relationship after Goyal’s marriage.“Goyal didn’t want to elope as she didn’t wish to bring disrepute to her family or embarrass Agarwal’s family. They initially looked for ways to prevent the marriage from taking place,” the officer said.According to police, the pair first considered causing injuries to Agarwal in an accident so that the wedding could be postponed. However, they later abandoned the plan.Police said no contract killing angle has emerged in the investigation so far.
“Their initial plan was only to injure him to make it appear like an accident,” the officer said.The officer said Goyal and Agarwal were scheduled to spend eight days in Bali after departing on June 6.When the accused realised that injuring him would not work, they allegedly decided to carry out the murder themselves.“They feared that if Agarwal survived and got wind of their conspiracy, he would expose them. That is when they allegedly decided to eliminate him,” the officer said.Investigators alleged that the duo watched suspense films, carried out internet searches and discussed different methods before deciding on the cliff-pushing plan.Police said Goyal had already visited Lohagad Fort with Agarwal on May 31 in what investigators suspect was a reconnaissance trip.“The visit appears to have been a reconnaissance exercise. The primary purpose was to identify a suitable spot from where the victim could be pushed. Had an opportunity presented itself that day, she might have attempted to kill him. Chaudhary deliberately stayed away during that visit to minimise risk,” the officer said.Police suspect Goyal later tried to persuade Agarwal to revisit the fort on June 3, but his family discouraged the trip as the couple was due to travel abroad.Investigators also alleged that Goyal stole Agarwal’s passport during a trip to Mumbai, leading to the cancellation of the Bali visit.Police further suspect that Goyal made an unsuccessful attempt to kill Agarwal at Lohagad Fort on June 14.“She allegedly pushed him off the cliff, but he managed to hold on to a bush and survived. She immediately claimed she had pushed him to save him from a snake, thereby deflecting suspicion,” the officer said.Investigators believe that had the June 14 attempt succeeded, there would have been little evidence of foul play.After the alleged failed attempt, Chaudhary joined the execution of the plan.“On June 18, he followed Goyal and Agarwal to Lohagad Fort, where the two allegedly pushed Agarwal into the gorge,” the officer said.Police said the accused also rehearsed on a hill in Pune’s Lullanagar area and carried out online research on ways to avoid detection before committing the crime.Goyal and Chaudhary are currently lodged in Yerawada Central Jail in Pune under judicial custody.(With PTI inputs)
