The investigation into the death of 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal has reached a critical juncture, with Pune Rural Police now preparing an on-site recreation at Lohagad Fort to establish precisely how the young man lost his life and to test the accounts provided by the two individuals accused in connection with his death. The exercise represents a significant escalation in investigative efforts and signals that authorities believe they have gathered sufficient preliminary evidence to warrant this more intensive phase of reconstruction work.
The sequence of events on the day Ketan died remains central to establishing what actually transpired at the fort, and investigators believe the physical recreation will help them map out the movements and positions of all parties involved at the crucial moment. For security and investigative reasons, police have declined to release details about when exactly this reconstruction will take place, preferring to maintain operational discretion as the case develops through the legal system.
According to investigators, the recreation exercise will meticulously track the movements of Ketan, accused Siya Goyal, and her alleged partner Chetan Babulal Chaudhary throughout their time at the fort. Officers intend to determine the precise location from which Ketan was allegedly pushed, measure the trajectory of his fall into the ravine below, and assess whether the physical evidence aligns with the narrative presented by the accused. A dummy body will be deployed during this process to conduct a realistic examination of the circumstances.
The reliance on circumstantial evidence has become unavoidable because the incident occurred without any eyewitnesses present to observe what happened. This absence of direct testimony means investigators must painstakingly construct a timeline by examining the events leading up to and following Ketan's death, scrutinising communications, movements, and relationships between all involved parties. So far, statements from seven individuals have been formally recorded as part of this broader investigative net.
Among those interrogated is Neeraj, an employee working at Chetan's business, who was detained for more than 24 hours of intensive questioning. Although police have uncovered no direct evidence implicating Neeraj in the alleged crime itself, investigators have focused on information he provided regarding Chetan's use of his mobile phone on the day in question. According to police accounts, Chetan had deliberately left his own device behind and instead used Neeraj's phone to maintain contact with Siya, a detail that investigators view as potentially significant in understanding the movements and coordination between the two accused individuals. Neeraj is now being considered as a likely key witness in the forthcoming legal proceedings.
The case has taken on an additional layer of emotional intensity following public statements made by Siya Goyal's own parents. In remarks that underscore the gravity of the allegations and the divisions they have created within families, her parents stated that if a court determines their daughter is guilty, she should face the maximum punishment available under law. They went further by making an emotionally charged suggestion that she should herself be pushed from the same location where Ketan allegedly fell, a statement that, while reflecting their distress, underscores the seriousness with which the family views the accusations.
Police have constructed a narrative alleging that Siya and Chetan deliberately pushed Ketan from Lohagad Fort, which forms part of Maharashtra's Sahyadri mountain range. Significantly, the incident was initially classified as an accidental fall that occurred during a routine trekking expedition, meaning the trajectory of the investigation shifted substantially as new information emerged. According to police allegations, Siya had stated that Ketan had boasted about his family's influence and financial power, claiming she could never escape from the marriage regardless of her wishes.
The prosecution's account suggests a pattern of behaviour, with police alleging that Siya made repeated attempts to bring Ketan to Lohagad Fort. The couple's first visit occurred on May 31, followed by Siya's request for another visit on June 4, which Ketan's mother apparently prevented. During a subsequent visit on June 14, police allege that Siya attempted to push Ketan off a cliff, but he managed to survive by gripping a bush. When confronted, Siya allegedly claimed she had seen a snake and pushed him to protect him from danger. Investigators contend that Ketan was ultimately killed during another fort visit on June 18.
However, this official narrative has been disputed by Siya's mother, who has presented a contrasting account to police. She has claimed that her daughter was reluctant to go trekking and that it was actually Ketan who suggested the trips to Lohagad Fort. Furthermore, she alleged that Ketan's own mother had encouraged Siya to accompany him on these expeditions, presenting a fundamentally different picture of who initiated the fort visits and the dynamics at play within the family relationships.
The backdrop to these events involves professional connections that allegedly evolved into personal ones. According to police, Siya and Chetan first met during a business meeting in the preceding year, and they subsequently entered into a romantic relationship beginning in November 2025, notably while Siya's marriage preparations to Ketan were already underway. The professional profiles of those involved reveal a picture of middle-class entrepreneurship: Siya operated a bakery business, Chetan ran a dry fruit enterprise, while Ketan served as Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Success Group, a real estate company owned by his family.
The investigation has exposed deep tensions within multiple families and has raised questions about how relationships intersect with business networks in Indian society. The alleged involvement of Siya's long-time partner in the incident, combined with the accusations regarding her behaviour toward Ketan over multiple fort visits, paints a picture of escalating conflict that authorities believe culminated in his death. As the legal proceedings continue through the court system, the upcoming crime scene reconstruction at Lohagad Fort will serve as a critical test of whether the physical evidence supports or contradicts the accounts offered by the accused.
