Siya Goyal, the prime accused in the alleged murder of her fiancé Ketan Agarwal along with her lover Chetan Chaudhary, has shown no remorse over the crime, prompting police to probe deeper into what was initially believed to be an accidental fall.
Adding to the controversy, Siya made an obscene gesture towards the media stationed outside her residence while being escorted by police. A 17-second video posted by IANS on X showed Siya walking out of her residence in Pune's Market Yard area, where police had taken her as part of the investigation. Dressed in a black T-shirt with a printed scarf covering her face, she looked at the media gathered outside and showed them the middle finger.
The video quickly went viral, with several X users criticising her behaviour. One user called her "entitled", while another wrote, "As evil as they come — no remorse."
According to the investigation, Siya and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, pushed 26-year-old businessman and realtor Ketan Agarwal into a gorge at Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18, leading to his death. Siya initially told police that Ketan had slipped and fallen, following which an accidental death report was registered. However, investigators became suspicious after noticing that she displayed no signs of grief, leading them to reopen the case.
Police said Siya and Ketan's families had fixed their marriage, with their wedding scheduled for November. However, Chetan allegedly viewed Ketan as an obstacle in his relationship with Siya, and the two are accused of conspiring to kill him.
Investigators claim the first attempt was made on June 14, when Siya allegedly pushed Ketan off a cliff at Lohagad Fort. He survived by grabbing onto a bush. To avoid suspicion, Siya reportedly screamed about spotting a snake before hugging him and calming the situation.
She later convinced Ketan to revisit the fort. This time, she allegedly called Chetan to the location, and the two are accused of pushing Ketan from behind into the gorge, resulting in his death.
The two accused were scheduled to be produced before the Wadgaon Court at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, where Pune Rural Police planned to seek an extension of their custody, while the defence was expected to seek judicial custody.
In a major development, Pune Rural Police on Thursday recovered the clothes allegedly worn by Siya on the day of the incident from her residence. The clothes have been seized and will be sent for forensic examination to determine whether they contain evidence that could help establish the sequence of events.
Police also conducted a crime scene reconstruction at an open ground in Pune's Lullanagar area. Investigators believe the spot was used by Siya and Chetan to rehearse their plan by practising how they would push Ketan off a cliff and assess the consequences before carrying out the alleged murder.
According to police sources, both accused disclosed during questioning that they had rehearsed the act at the Lullanagar hill area, located near a military zone. Based on these statements, investigators conducted a detailed inspection of the site and prepared a panchnama, which is expected to form part of the evidence presented in court.
Investigators are also seeking permission from the court to conduct polygraph (lie detector) tests on both accused. Police believe the tests could help verify their statements and clarify several aspects of the case. The results will be compared with the evidence collected so far to strengthen the investigation.
The probe has further revealed that the accused allegedly searched online for ways to kill Ketan before the incident. Police also believe they visited Lohagad Fort in advance to familiarise themselves with the location and rehearse their plan. Investigators say the two even discussed and prepared responses they would give if questioned by police after the crime.
According to investigators, Chetan travelled to Lohagad Fort on a scooter instead of a car to avoid creating electronic toll records and reduce the chances of being captured on CCTV cameras. The scooter has since been seized. Police also said he wore a hoodie during the trek despite the hot weather to conceal his identity, but the unusual clothing allegedly drew attention and later became an important lead in the investigation.
Police believe Siya and Chetan had finalised the murder conspiracy by the end of May. The investigation into the case is ongoing.
