CCTV footage of a hooded man trailing Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal and his fiancée Siya Goyal at Lohagad Fort helped police reopen a death case that was initially treated as a trekking accident, police told PTI on Wednesday.
The man was later identified as Chetan Chaudhary. Investigators found his clothing and movements unusual, as he was wearing a hoodie despite temperatures of around 33 degrees Celsius at the fort near Pune on June 18.
Police said Ketan, 26, was allegedly pushed into a gorge by Goyal, 20, and Chaudhary, 22, both of whom have been arrested and booked on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.
Ketan, who was engaged to Goyal in February this year, died after falling from a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18. The case was initially registered as an accidental death after Goyal told the victim's family that he had slipped during the trek, police said.
A police officer involved in the investigation said the team first found discrepancies while reconstructing the couple's movements. "We checked CCTV cameras installed at the ticket counter of the fort, where we spotted Ketan and Siya walking together," the officer told PTI, adding that investigators then noticed a man walking a few metres behind them, his face hidden by a low-pulled hoodie and headset.
In another clip, Siya was seen suddenly looking back as the man abruptly sat down.
The probe widened to the couple's relationship. Police said Ketan's uncle told investigators that Goyal had expressed reservations about the marriage and once asked if the wedding could be postponed.
Family members said Goyal had repeatedly persuaded Ketan to visit Lohagad before the fatal trek — first on May 31, then again on June 4, though his mother stopped a second visit.
On June 14, police allege Goyal tried pushing Ketan off a cliff, but he held onto a bush, and she raised a false alarm about a snake when he asked why he had been pushed. Investigators said Goyal and Chaudhary wanted to "eliminate" Ketan before a planned pre-wedding trip to Bali, which was called off after his passport went missing.
Call records showed extensive communication between Goyal and Chaudhary, including "thousands of calls" exchanged over an extended period, the officer said. During interrogation, Chaudhary reportedly said Goyal was unwilling to call off the engagement or elope, fearing disrespect to her family.
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