Fiancee, lover remanded as family mourns Fort murder.
Pune court sends accused pair to custody till June 29.
Pune: A magistrate’s court in Pune on Tuesday sent 25-year-old Siya Goyal and her friend, 27-year-old Chetan Chaudhary, to police custody until June 29 after they were booked in the suspected murder of Siya’s fiancé, Ketan Agarwal. The Lonavala Rural Police initially registered the death as a fall from Lohagad Fort near Pune, but investigators say subsequent inquiries showed he was pushed.
According to police, Siya and Ketan — who were engaged — visited the popular hill fort on June 18. Siya first called authorities to report that Ketan had slipped and fallen. Local rescuers reached the site and Ketan was declared dead. What began as a tragic accident later took a criminal turn after investigators uncovered evidence suggesting the fall was not accidental.
Pune Rural Police officials said Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary were arrested following questioning, and that both had confessed to involvement in the incident. Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill told reporters the two accused had admitted their roles during interrogation. The police recorded those statements as part of the murder case being pursued by the Lonavala Rural unit.
At Tuesday’s custody hearing, defence counsel Advocate Ram Shahane, appearing for Chetan Chaudhary, argued strongly against the police request for custody. Despite those objections, the magistrate granted seven days of police custody to both accused, allowing investigators time to probe the circumstances surrounding Ketan’s fall more thoroughly.
Friends and neighbours described the engagement as a routine step toward marriage, and the news has left Ketan’s family and those who knew the couple stunned. Lohagad Fort, a popular spot for outings and treks, is usually associated with picnics and photographs — not criminal investigations. That ordinary setting has turned into the scene of a case that family members say has shattered their lives.
The police have not yet made public detailed forensic findings, but sources say investigators are examining CCTV footage from the area, witnesses’ accounts and mobile-phone records to reconstruct the sequence of events. Forensic teams are also reported to be analysing injury patterns to determine whether the fall is consistent with an accident or with an assault. Those technical inquiries will likely form a key part of the prosecution’s case should it move to trial.
For the accused, police custody means days of further interrogation and potential evidence-gathering. For Ketan’s family, each passing day brings a mix of grief and a demand for answers. Local community members have expressed concern over the case’s development, noting that incidents at popular tourist spots raise questions about safety as well as about how quickly authorities can move from treating an event as accidental to investigating it as a crime.
The case highlights how quickly an ordinary outing can turn tragic and then legal, and how families are left reeling as investigations unfold. As both sides prepare for what may be a lengthy legal process, the court-ordered custody gives investigators time to gather more evidence that they say ties the two accused to Ketan’s death.
The Lonavala Rural Police said they will continue their inquiry while custody lasts, and the next hearing is scheduled at the magistrate’s court after June 29. Until then, questions remain about motive, the exact chain of events at Lohagad Fort, and whether further arrests or charges will follow.