Snake Lie, Torn Passport, Fake ‘Mahi’ Account: How Siya Goyal and Team Plotted Ketan Agarwal’s Murder at Lohagad Fort

A 5,053-page charge sheet was filed in the Vadgaon Maval court in Pune on Saturday in the murder of Ketan Agarwal, who was allegedly pushed off Lohagad Fort in June, officials aware of the matter said. The charge sheet names his fiancée Siya Pravin Goyal, her alleged lover Chetan Babulaal Chaudhary and Ritesh Sanjay Hange as accused, all three of whom are in jail. Pune rural superintendent of police Sandeep Singh Gill confirmed the filing, saying, "We have submitted a 5,053-page chargesheet before the Vadgaon Maval court today." Police allege the trio first planned only to injure Agarwal seriously, explored getting an outsider to attack him, and finally decided to kill him themselves.

Police have cited more than 100 witnesses, including five eyewitnesses. The prosecution has also submitted mobile phone data, WhatsApp chats, photographs, call detail records, technical analysis and other digital evidence to back its case.

Accused Allegedly Studied Murder Films and Raghuvanshi Case

According to a senior police officer, the accused allegedly watched films based on murders and listened to podcasts about avoiding police detection while planning the crime, HT reported. They also allegedly studied the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore resident killed during his honeymoon in Meghalaya in May 2025. His wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was arrested in that case. Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Siya Goyal Reveals Why She Did Not Elope With Lover Chetan Chaudhary.

Plan to Hire an Outsider Was Dropped

The officer said the three first discussed disabling Agarwal and contacted several people from outside Maharashtra to explore getting him seriously injured. They allegedly dropped the idea over fears that the hired person could later create problems for them or lead police to the conspiracy. One of the people contacted at this stage has since become a witness.

Why Lohagad Fort Was Allegedly Chosen

The charge sheet details an alleged recce of several spots in and around Lonavala. Towards the end of May, Goyal and Chaudhary allegedly visited Tiger Point and other hill locations to find an isolated spot, and noticed that Tiger Point had no CCTV coverage. Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Third Arrest Made As Rehearsal, Passport Theft Details Emerge.

Police allege Lohagad was finally picked because of an earlier death at the fort. In March 2025, a 21-year-old woman from Navi Sangvi died after falling from Lohagad near Lonavala. The accused allegedly believed Agarwal's death at the same place could similarly pass off as an accidental fall while taking a selfie.

Failed Attempts Before the Murder

Police allege Goyal insisted on visiting Lohagad on June 4, before the couple was to leave for Bali for a pre-wedding shoot, and that the murder was meant to be carried out before that trip. The plan was disrupted on June 6, when Goyal allegedly tore up Agarwal's passport and threw it into a washroom at a cafe in Khalapur, which meant they could not go to Bali.

On June 14, Goyal and Agarwal allegedly visited Lohagad. Police allege Goyal tried to push Agarwal from the fort but he did not fall. She then allegedly pretended there was a snake to make him move towards the edge, but that plan also failed.

Fake Instagram Account 'Mahi' Used to Lure Agarwal

The accused then allegedly created a fake Instagram account named 'Mahi', using the photograph of a girl known to them. On June 18, messages from the account allegedly led Agarwal to believe that Mahi was Goyal's friend, and suggested he take Goyal to Lohagad so her birthday could be celebrated as a surprise.

Police said the fake account was part of a plan devised by Hange to lure Agarwal to the fort. The account was deleted after the murder, the officer said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2026 10:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).