Police in Pune arrested Siya Goyal, 20, and Chetan Chaudhary, 27, for the murder of 25‑year‑old Ketan Agarwal, who was shoved off Lohagad Fort on June 18 2024. An unnamed witness, who recorded a statement five days after the incident, claimed to have seen Chaudhary kick Agarwal, sending him tumbling into the gorge, and that Chaudhary threatened him with, “Keep quiet, or I’ll throw you down from the fort too.” The witness added that Chaudhary was wearing a hoodie in the scorching heat, a detail that made him easy to identify.
Police recovered 12 TB of data, six mobile phones, nine pen drives and call records, and are conducting forensic analysis of social media activity and deleted chats. Investigators recovered data from a broken phone that Siya had hidden, revealing attempts to permanently delete iPhone messages. Police sources said that the recovered backups will be cross‑checked with the witness’s account.
The investigation also uncovered that Ritesh Hange, Chaudhary’s friend, was involved in planning the murder and was arrested alongside the couple. Hange allegedly helped arrange the treks and coordinate the push.
Agarwal and Goyal had been preparing for a November wedding after two treks to the fort on May 31 and June 14; the initial case was registered as accidental death, but Agarwal’s sister’s doubts prompted a fresh probe.
Police are now cross‑verifying the witness statement with the recovered evidence before proceeding with formal charges.