A missing passport that forced the cancellation of a pre-wedding trip to Bali weeks before the death of businessman Ketan Agrawal is now being treated by investigators as a crucial piece of an alleged murder conspiracy that has shocked Maharashtra. According to Pune Rural Police, Ketan's fiancée, Siya Goyal, allegedly stole and destroyed his passport to prevent him from travelling abroad with her. Investigators believe the episode was not an isolated act but part of a wider plot that ultimately ended with the 26-year-old's death at Lohagad Fort.
Ketan and Siya, who got engaged in February, were scheduled to fly to Bali on June 6 for a pre-wedding photoshoot. Four people were travelling together, but the trip was abruptly called off when Ketan discovered his passport was missing after arriving at Mumbai airport.
Ketan's father, Vishal Agrawal, said the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the document appeared suspicious from the outset. He recalled that only four people were in the car when they left home. Everyone checked their passports while sitting in the vehicle, and all the documents, currency, credit cards and driving licences were kept together in a single pouch inside the car. However, upon arriving at the airport, everyone had their passports except Ketan, meaning he was unable to travel and had to return home.
Police sources say the investigation later revealed that Siya allegedly took Ketan's passport, tore it up and disposed of it in the washroom of a hotel where the group had stopped for breakfast before heading to the airport.
Investigators allege that Siya was in a relationship with another man, Chetan Babulal Choudhary, and no longer wished to marry Ketan. According to the police, the pair viewed him as an obstacle and began planning his murder weeks before his death, making multiple attempts on his life before June 18.
According to investigators, during a visit to Lohagad Fort on June 14, Siya allegedly tried to push Ketan into a valley after panicking him by claiming there was a snake nearby. While Ketan survived that initial attempt, police claim Siya tried again four days later, accompanied this time by Chetan.
On June 18, Ketan returned to Lohagad Fort after allegedly being persuaded by Siya. Investigators say Chetan arrived separately on a motorcycle and later joined the couple. Police allege that Siya and Chetan then attacked Ketan and pushed him into a deep gorge, leading to 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.
The police initially believed the death was accidental, suspecting that Ketan had fallen nearly 400 feet into the valley while taking photographs during a trek amidst strong winds. An accidental death report had been filed when Siya informed the police that Ketan had slipped and fell.
But the case has taken an entirely unexpected turn as both Siya Goyal and Chetan Choudhary have been arrested and booked for murder and conspiracy.
According to Vishal Agrawal, the family believed it was an accident at first. However, the way Siya behaved after Ketan's death brought some serious questions in their minds because she did not express any grief on seeing his dead body.
The father also revealed that the couple's wedding had been scheduled for November at a palace in Rajasthan. He explained that because Siya's birthday fell on June 19, she had fought with Ketan to have an early celebration on the 18th, insisting on the fateful trip to Lohagad Fort. Ketan left home at 8.20 am that morning, and by 10.45 am, the family received a call from Siya's mother informing them that he had fallen into the valley.
When asked whether there had been pressure on the couple to marry, Vishal Agrawal stated that the alliance had been an arranged marriage decided with the consent of both families. He added that his family was entirely unaware of Siya's alleged relationship, expressing his grief and anger that her family may have known about her behaviour and deliberately planned the marriage to trap them. For Ketan's family, the missing passport now appears to have been an early warning sign that went unnoticed, leaving a grieving father to question why the suspects chose to take such a drastic step rather than simply refusing the marriage. Police are continuing their investigation to establish whether anyone else was involved in the alleged conspiracy.
Also read: Fiancée held in Pune Fort Murder Case
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