Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: What Chetan Chaudhary's Lawyer Said About the FIR Allegations
Chetan Chaudhary’s defence counsel argued there is no concrete evidence linking him to Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal's murder, claiming he was implicated solely for being the co-accused's boyfriend. However, police point to suspicious CCTV footage of Chaudhary in a summer hoodie and over 2,000 phone calls as proof of a plot.
The defence counsel representing 22-year-old Chetan Chaudhary argued on Tuesday, June 23, that there is no concrete evidence linking his client to the murder of Pune businessman Ketan Vishal Agarwal. Chaudhary, along with his girlfriend Siya Goyal, 20, was arrested following the June 18 incident at Lohagad Fort in Lonavala, which local authorities claim was a premeditated murder plot staged to look like a fatal trekking accident.
Defence Alleges Wrongful Implication
Advocate Ram Shahane, representing Chaudhary, stated that the First Information Report (FIR) fails to outline a specific, actionable role for his client, suggesting he was detained solely due to his romantic relationship with the primary accused. Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Why Deceased's Sister Refused To Believe the Accident Theory.
"If we look at the FIR, the allegations against him (Chetan Chaudhary) are not concrete. His role is not described. It is only said that he is (Siya's) boyfriend. He has been implicated in this case," Shahane told PTI. The defence lawyer emphasised that the case is still in its preliminary phase and lacks the substantiation required to definitively tie Chaudhary to the physical act. "We have pleaded that that accused role is not coming in this. How he has been implicated in this? This is the case of defence. The case is in its initial stages. Police is investigating the case and they have demanded the custody of seven days," Shahane added.
Technical Evidence and the Summer 'Hoodie'
Conversely, the Lonavala Rural Police maintain that circumstantial and technical evidence strongly connect Chaudhary to the crime scene. According to investigators, Chaudhary arrived at the Lohagad Fort site well ahead of Ketan and Siya on the morning of the incident. Local surveillance footage from the foothills became a primary point of suspicion for the police due to the suspect's choice of attire, which stood out sharply against the day's weather conditions. “When we checked the June 18 temperature, it was 33 degrees Celsius that morning. During scrutiny of CCTV footage from the foothills, we noticed a person wearing a hoodie with his head covered and also wearing headphones. This raised suspicion because such clothing was unusual considering the weather conditions,” said Senior Police Inspector Dinesh Tayade of the Lonavala Rural Police.
Operational Details and Custody Status
Police investigators also revealed that Chaudhary allegedly attempted to systematically evade digital tracking by intentionally leaving his mobile phone at his residence in Kondhwa rather than carrying it with him to the fort. Despite the lack of a live cellular footprint at the site, investigators mapped his physical movements using sequential area CCTV feeds, which eventually led to the targeted questioning of both suspects. Siya Goyal Party Video: Ketan Agarwal Murder-Accused Seen at Birthday Celebration.
While the defence maintains that the allegations lack substance, police officials stated that both Goyal and Chaudhary subsequently confessed to the crime during sustained interrogation. The duo has been remanded to police custody for seven days to allow detectives to complete crime scene reconstructions and analyse the more than 2,000 cellular calls exchanged between the co-accused before the incident.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2026 11:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
