Siya Goyal is accused of murdering her fiancé Ketan Agarwal to secure three years of freedom with her lover before their planned marriage, according to fresh details from the police inquiry into his death.
Authorities say Goyal and her co-accused Chetan Chaudhary started planning the killing as early as February. The pair reportedly hoped to ease family pressure to marry by staging Agarwal’s death, giving Chaudhary time to advance his career while Goyal stayed single during the mourning period.
Agarwal died after falling into a gorge at Lohagad Fort in Pune district, Maharashtra. Investigators state that Chaudhary had asked Goyal to wait three years before they wed so he could focus on work. Yet her marriage to Agarwal was already fixed for November.
Police believe the pair saw the death as a way to buy time and intended to marry after the mourning period. Goyal allegedly told investigators it was simpler to kill her fiancé than to inform her family she no longer wished to marry him. She reportedly did not want to upset relatives by ending the engagement.
Goyal had told Agarwal she did not want to marry him, but he refused to cancel the engagement. She then allegedly conspired with Chaudhary. The plot reportedly included online searches for killing methods, a prior visit to the fort to rehearse, prepared answers for police, and plans to disguise themselves. Both suspects are said to have deleted phone chat histories and emptied recycle bins. Devices have been sent for forensic checks.
A backup plan was also prepared. On May 31, Goyal took Agarwal to the fort and identified a secluded spot near Vinchu Kata ridge. A second visit on June 4 was reportedly cancelled after his mother objected.
On June 14, Goyal allegedly tried to push Agarwal off a cliff, but he survived by grabbing a bush. She reportedly distracted him by shouting about a snake, then comforted him and convinced him the incident was accidental. She later persuaded him to return four days later.
On June 18, police allege Goyal and Chaudhary pushed Agarwal from behind into a 350-foot gorge at Lohagad Fort in Maval taluka, causing his death. Goyal is also accused of discarding his passport on June 6.
Pune Rural Police questioned Goyal’s brother Sahil to determine whether he knew of her relationship with Chaudhary and had informed the family. Police think the family learned of the relationship during a community cricket tournament in January. Financial differences between the families may have influenced the arranged marriage.
An employee at Chaudhary’s store reportedly told investigators that Chaudhary left his own phone behind on the day of the incident and carried the employee’s device instead. CCTV footage from a Pune café is said to show Goyal and Chaudhary meeting several times between May 31 and June 4.
The investigation continues as police question family members, associates and the two accused.
