As the investigation into the death of Pune-based Ketan Agarwal continues, police said Thursday that the two suspects – Ketan’s fiancee Siya Goyal, and her friend Chetan Choudhary – were blaming each other for what had happened.
Sources said Chetan has been saying during questioning that he wanted to elope with Siya, but she insisted they “get rid of” Ketan. Siya, on the other hand, is reportedly claiming that the murder was Chetan’s idea, and that he broke down when a previous alleged plot failed.
Coming from an affluent family, Siya, 20, is a Commerce student at a well-known Pune college. Her family, who lives in a large bungalow called Lila Kunj in Bibwewadi near Market Yard in Pune, is in the dry fruits business. Bibwewadi is known as a highly sought-after residential and commercial neighbourhood in southern Pune, located about an hour’s drive from the Lodha Belmondo apartment block in Gahunje, where Ketan lived.
Those who know Siya describe her as “cheerful”, interested in fashion and, recently, active with her own baking business. However, little is known about this business.
Shocked at the revelation that Siya may have had a hand in Ketan’s death, from a fall at Lohagad Fort near Pune, Ketan’s mother Rakhi Agarwal says: “Siya was well-behaved, like any regular girl. She was always smiling. She had come home several times – for a puja, for dinner, for a birthday. We went shopping and for meals.”
The families were distantly related. Searching for answers for the murder, months ahead of a luxurious wedding planned by them for Siya and Ketan later this year, Rakhi says they had put “only two” conditions to Siya before the wedding: that “we do not allow drinking in our house”, and “I would not let her attend parties”.
Their engagement, on Valentine’s Day this year, had been a grand affair, held in a Pune hotel. The wedding was planned at a palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan, with two aircraft chartered for the guests.
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In photos and videos of the couple which have surfaced on social media since Ketan’s killing, he and Siya can be seen dancing as a guitarist plays a song, and celebrating with a cake. In another, Ketan surprises Siya with a ride in a car whose sunroof is decked with flowers.
A social media post put up by Siya after Ketan’s death has also surfaced. “You left me on my birthday,” she put up. “You left when we were so close to getting married. I still can’t understand why you did this to me. I had dreams, questions I’ll never get answers to. Why did you leave me when I loved you so much? Rest in peace.”
Siya has a brother, two years younger to her. He was with the couple when they travelled to Mumbai for their flight to Bali, Indonesia, for a pre-wedding shoot. Police have claimed Siya stole Ketan’s passport, ensuring they had to cancel their plans.
Those who knew both Agarwal and Goyal families have refused to talk about the incident. Siya’s father Praveen Goyal was admitted to hospital on Thursday, and in first comments to the media, her parents said Ketan was “more of a son” to them than their own. “We want justice for Ketan… for the accused to pay the same way,” Praveen told TV reporters. Asked if they would feel the same even if that meant Siya, he said: “Yes, even Siya.”
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Chetan Choudhary
The 22-year-old reportedly met Siya only around eight-nine months ago, at a party.
Neighbours at the much-more modest Shree Parshwa Nagar Society, where the Chaudhary family has lived for many years, say they are shocked at the allegations against Chetan.
“I have known the family for several years. Chetan was well-known here, and mainly for his active participation in sports,” says a neighbour who does not wish to be named. “Since he was very young, he played cricket, and he was good at it. He never showed any violent streak, and everyone had only good things to say about his behaviour.”
Chetan’s uncle Udayram says they find it hard to believe the allegations against the 22-year-old. Reiterating that he was a sportsperson, he adds that the Choudhary home is full of trophies won by Chetan, “over 150”.
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Chetan’s lawyer Ram Shahane says he is “pursuing BBA”.
Those who have seen the 22-year-old around the housing compound say Chetan would either be seen playing in the compound, or helping his father Babulal Chaudhary out with the family’s business.
The Chaudharys run a dry fruits business, along with that in spices, named Dhanashri Masala, at Market Yard, near where the Goyals stay.
Chetan’s family, including his father and uncle, say he “is being falsely implicated by Siya”. Babulal, who says they had no idea the two were in a relationship, says: “Chetan told us he was standing a few feet away from Siya and Ketan (when the latter allegedly was killed).”
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Babulal also claims that Chetan is being threatened in police custody.
Shahane underlines that his client is “Accused No. 2”. Not denying that Chetan and Siya were in constant touch, he claims the calls were purely friendly and business-related.
Police’s reference to over 2,000 calls between them lacked any chronological context or supporting evidence, Shahane says. “No evidence has been placed before court so far.”
Ketan Agarwal
Neighbours of the 26-year-old, who was allegedly pushed off a cliff by Siya and Chetan, remember him as a friendly and well-liked young man.
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Lodha Belmondo in Gahunje, where Ketan lived with his family, is described on housing sites as “Pune’s most-premium riverside township”.
Says Lalita Singh, who lives in another tower in the apartment block: “The Agarwal family has good relations with everyone here. Ketan was kind and cheerful.”
Having done higher studies in Massachusetts, US, Ketan, who has a sister, had returned a couple of years ago and, after interning at Mahindra Logistic, joined the family’s construction firm Success Group as Chief Marketing Officer and Director.
Multiple members of Ketan’s family hold leadership roles in the company, with father Vishal Agarwal the Chief Executive Officer and grandfather Devichand Agarwal the Chairman. Other family members in the business include Kuldeep Agarwal (Chief Operating Officer), Vijay Agarwal (Chief Financial Officer), Mayur Agarwal (Head Project Manager), and Harsh Agarwal (Director).
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Success Group’s site says Ketan was involved in “strategic marketing, business development, and built-to-suit real estate initiatives tailored to modern business demands”. He was also said to be interested in “sustainable growth and CO₂ footprint reduction”.
Success Group site lists five industrial construction projects in Chakan, Pune, as well as six residential construction projects in Akurdi, Ravet, Nigdi, Moshi, etc, as among its projects.
Ketan’s father Vishal is also the Director or Designated Director of many firms, according to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs data. These include Mittal Vastu Rachana LLP, Vishal Meadows LLP, Nest Chakan Realty LLP, Upsquares Ventures LLP, and Kucchal and Kucchal Associates LLP.
