Pune Police File 5,053-Page Chargesheet in Lohagad Fort Murder Case

Pune police have filed a chargesheet running to 5,053 pages in the case of Ketan Agarwal, the 26-year-old businessman who died after being pushed off Lohagad Fort on June 18. Agarwal's fiancee, Siya Goyal, her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary, and a third accused, Ritesh Hange, have been arrested in connection with the death.

Agarwal and Goyal, both residents of Pune, got engaged in February and were to be married in Jaipur in November.

Alleged plot and preparation

According to the chargesheet, the accused first considered seriously injuring Agarwal and looked into hiring someone from outside Maharashtra for the job. That plan was abandoned over fears that the hired person could expose the conspiracy or create complications. Investigators said a person contacted during this stage has since turned witness.

The accused then allegedly decided to carry out the killing themselves. They watched murder films, used ChatGPT, and listened to podcasts on evading police detection, the chargesheet states. They also studied the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case involving Raja Raghuvanshi, a resident of Indore in Madhya Pradesh who was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in May last year.

Lohagad chosen after recce

Investigators said the accused surveyed locations around Lonavala, including Tiger Point, before settling on Lohagad Fort. The fort was allegedly chosen because a woman had died there in an accidental fall in March last year, which the accused believed would make Agarwal's death look like an accident. They reportedly thought it could pass as a fall while taking a selfie.

An earlier attempt

Goyal and Agarwal had visited Lohagad on June 14 as well, when she allegedly tried to push him off a cliff. He managed to grab a tree and survived. When he asked why he had been pushed, she claimed she had seen a snake and had tried to protect him, according to the chargesheet.

Goyal had also insisted on visiting the fort on June 4, as the accused wanted the killing done before a planned trip to Bali. On June 6, while travelling for a pre-wedding photoshoot, she allegedly tore Agarwal's passport and threw it away in a cafe washroom, scuttling the trip.

Fake Instagram account

A fake Instagram account named 'Mahi' was created using the photograph of a woman known to the accused, investigators said. Messages from the account urged Agarwal to visit Lohagad on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan involving Goyal. The account, part of a plan devised by Hange to bring Agarwal to the fort, was deleted after the incident.

The final sequence

On June 18, Chaudhary reached the fort through an exit route and joined Goyal after receiving a signal from her. When Agarwal's attention was diverted, Goyal pushed him from behind, and Chaudhary kicked him, causing him to fall, police said.

The chargesheet cites statements from more than 100 people, including five eyewitnesses, along with mobile phone data, WhatsApp chats, photographs, call detail records and technical analysis.