Investigators are now viewing a missing passport which forced the cancellation of a pre-wedding trip to Bali just weeks before businessman Ketan Agrawal died as a crucial factor in an alleged murder plot that has stunned Maharashtra.
As per the Pune Rural Police, Ketan’s fiancée, Siya Goyal, is accused of stealing and destroying his passport, thereby stopping him from travelling overseas with her. Investigators suspect this incident was not a one-off act but part of a broader conspiracy that ultimately culminated in the 26-year-old’s death at Lohagad Fort.
PASSPORT DISAPPEARED BEFORE BALI TRIP
Ketan and Siya, who became engaged in February, had planned to fly to Bali on June 6 for a pre-wedding photoshoot. They were to travel with two others, but the trip was suddenly called off when Ketan realised his passport was missing after they arrived at Mumbai airport.
Ketan's father, Vishal Agrawal, stated that the conditions under which the document went missing seemed suspicious.
They were scheduled to travel from Mumbai to Bali, Indonesia, on June 6 for a pre-wedding photoshoot. When they left home, there were only four people in the car. While seated in the vehicle, everyone checked their passports, and all the passports, cash, credit cards, driving licences, and other documents were placed together in a single pouch. That pouch remained inside the car, he said.
He added, "When we reached the airport, everyone had their passports except Ketan. His was the only one that had been stolen, so he was unable to travel and had to go back from the airport."
According to police sources, the investigation later found that Siya allegedly seized Ketan's passport, tore it into pieces, and discarded it in the restroom of a hotel where the group had paused for breakfast before proceeding to the airport.
POLICE SUSPECT MURDER PLOT BEGAN WEEKS EARLIER
Investigators claim that Siya was romantically involved with Chetan Babulal Choudhary and no longer wished to marry Ketan. Police state that the two considered Ketan an obstacle and started plotting his murder several weeks before he was killed.The probe has uncovered what police describe as multiple attempts to kill Ketan before June 18.
Investigators say that during a trip to Lohagad Fort on June 14, Siya allegedly attempted to push him into a gorge after causing alarm by warning him about a nearby snake. Ketan survived the alleged attack. Police claim Siya, accompanied by Chetan this time, tried again four days later.
FROM ACCIDENT THEORY TO MURDER CASE
On June 18, Ketan went back to Lohagad Fort, reportedly after being convinced by Siya. According to investigators, Chetan came on his own by motorcycle and subsequently met up with the group. According to police, Siya and Chetan assaulted Ketan and shoved him into a deep ravine, causing his death.
Ketan, a resident of Gahunje in Pune district and a director at a real estate firm, was later found dead in a gorge near the fort. At first, police treated the death as an accident. Officers stated that Ketan plunged nearly 400 feet into the valley while taking photographs during a trek in high winds.
An accidental death case was filed after Siya informed the police that Ketan had slipped and fallen.The case, however, took a dramatic turn during the investigation, leading to the arrest of Siya Goyal and Chetan Choudhary. Both have been booked for murder and criminal conspiracy.
FAMILY SAYS SIYA'S BEHAVIOUR RAISED QUESTIONS
Vishal Agrawal stated that the family at first agreed it was an accident, but he asserted that Siya’s behavior following Ketan’s death created suspicion."We also thought it was an accident. But when the police came with his body, Siya didn't show any reaction. When a woman's fiance or husband dies, she feels sad, but there was no such sadness in her behaviour. This was the first thing that bothered us, but since we had to go to the hospital, we didn't pay much attention to it," he said.
The father also revealed that the couple's wedding had been scheduled for November at a palace in Rajasthan. "My son's engagement with this girl took place in February. Since it was Siya's birthday on the 19th, she insisted and fought with him to have a pre-birthday celebration on the 18th and took him to Lohagad Fort," he said.
According to him, Ketan left home at 8.20 am on June 18. Around 10.45 am, the family received a call from Siya's mother informing them that he had fallen into the valley.
FAMILY QUESTIONS ROLE OF OTHERS
When asked if the couple had been pressured into marriage, Vishal Agrawal stated that the match was organized with the approval of both families and that his family had no knowledge of any purported relationship involving Siya."It was an arranged marriage. It was decided with the consent of both families. None of us on my son's side knew about it. But today we are realising the girl's behaviour, her relationships... and I feel that she is not alone, there are many others. All of this was known to her entire family. Despite knowing, they deliberately made a plan to trap us by marrying her to him, thinking that all of this would stop," he said.
For Ketan's family, the misplaced passport now seems to have been an early warning sign that they failed to recognize at the time.
“If she did not want to marry, she could have just said no. What made them choose such an extreme course of action?” the grieving father asked.Police are continuing their investigation and are examining whether any other people were aware of, or involved in, the alleged conspiracy.
