Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Accused Initially Planned To Hire Contract Killers, Changed Plan Later, Say Police
The suspects in the June murder of 26-year-old Pune builder Ketan Agarwal initially considered hiring contract killers to execute the crime before deciding to carry out the attack themselves, Pune Rural Police revealed on Monday. The revelation follows the recent arrest of a third suspect, 22-year-old Ritesh Hange.
Pune Rural Police have said that the accused in the murder of 26-year-old builder Ketan Agarwal initially considered hiring contract killers before allegedly changing their plan and carrying out the crime themselves. The latest development came after the arrest of Ritesh Hange, a friend of key accused Chetan Choudhary, whose alleged role in the conspiracy was uncovered through recovered digital evidence.
Ketan was allegedly pushed off Lohagad Fort on June 18 by his fiancée Siya Goyal and her boyfriend, Chetan Choudhary. Both were arrested earlier and are currently in judicial custody. Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Third Arrest Made As Rehearsal, Passport Theft Details Emerge.
Ritesh Hange Arrested in Connection With Conspiracy
Ritesh Hange, 22, was arrested on Friday night for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy to murder Ketan. Pune Rural Police said his role emerged after forensic experts recovered deleted messages and call records during a digital investigation.
According to Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, Ritesh and Chetan were classmates during their MBA course and had allegedly discussed different ways of harming Ketan before their conversations progressed towards plans to eliminate him. Police said the accused initially considered hiring contract killers to carry out the murder. Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Siya Goyal Reveals Why She Did Not Elope With Lover Chetan Chaudhary.
Plan To Involve Outsiders Allegedly Dropped
Investigators said the alleged conspiracy underwent several changes before the murder. According to police, Ritesh and Chetan initially discussed causing "body harm" to Ketan. Their conversations later allegedly progressed to eliminating him, with the accused considering hiring someone from outside to carry out the killing.
Police said Ritesh later backed out of the alleged plan. Siya and Chetan subsequently abandoned the idea of involving outsiders and allegedly decided to execute the murder themselves.
Deleted Chats and Call Records Recovered
Police said Ritesh had allegedly deleted chat messages and call logs in an attempt to avoid suspicion. However, digital forensic experts were able to recover the data. Investigators said the recovered messages helped establish Ritesh's alleged involvement in the conspiracy. Before his arrest, police also cross-verified his statements with witness accounts and technical evidence.
Chetan allegedly Contacted Ritesh Hange After Murder
Police have also found that Ritesh was allegedly the first person Chetan contacted after Ketan's death. According to investigators, Chetan met Ritesh immediately after the alleged murder and contacted him soon after the incident at Lohagad Fort. The development has become a key part of the police investigation into the alleged conspiracy.
Police Checking Ritesh's Whereabouts on Day of Murder
Investigators are now trying to establish Ritesh's exact whereabouts on June 18 and determine whether he had any role at the crime scene. Police are examining technical evidence, including mobile phone location data and CCTV footage, to trace his movements on the day of the murder.
The investigation into the Ketan Agarwal murder case is continuing, with police seeking to establish the full sequence of events and the exact role of each accused in the alleged conspiracy.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2026 10:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
