Fake Instagram account, podcasts: Chargesheet reveals new details in Lohagad murder
Online searches allegedly involved Raja Raghuvanshi case too, while a fake Instagram handle was allegedly created to convince Agarwal to take Goyal to Lohagad
A 5053-page chargesheet filed in a Pune court on Saturday (September 20) has revealed new details in the sensational Ketan Agarwal murder case.
Agarwal, a Pune-based realtor, was allegedly pushed off Lohagad Fort on June 18, following which his fiancee Siya Goyal, her alleged lover Chetan Choudhary, and one more person, identified as Ritesh Hange, were arrested.
Fake Instagram account
According to the chargesheet, the three accused allegedly created a fake Instagram account in the name of “Mahi” to convince Agarwal to take Goyal to Lohagad fort on June 18, where he was pushed to his death, news agency PTI reported citing an unnamed official in the Pune Rural police.
The accused allegedly used a photograph of a girl known to them for the fake account, from which a message was sent, purportedly by a friend of Goyal’s, asking Agarwal to bring his fiancee to Lohagad so that she could be given a surprise birthday party.
Also read: Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal murder: Third accused arrested for alleged conspiracy
Hange allegedly planned the entire exercise, while the account was deleted after the murder. Chaudhary allegedly entered the fort through an exit route and waited near a temple and Goyal signalled him to move ahead.
When Agarwal became slightly distracted, Goyal allegedly pushed him from behind near the shoulder, while Chaudhary pushed his leg. Chaudhary then allegedly kicked Agarwal, causing him to fall to his death.
Murder films, ChatGPT research
The chargesheet, submitted in the Vadgaon Maval court, carries several pieces of evidence, including the messages, photos, mobile phone data, call detail records, statements of witnesses and technical analysis certificates.
It reportedly names Goyal, Chaudhary and Hange as accused and includes statements of five eyewitnesses. The chargesheet also reportedly states that the trio had initially conspired to cause serious injuries to Agarwal with the help of a person from another state.
Also read: Siya, Chetan planned to injure Ketan but decided murder would be less risky: Police
They allegedly contacted several people in connection with the plan but later abandoned it, fearing the person involved could be traced and create difficulties for them. One of those contacted has since become a witness.
Subsequently, the accused trio allegedly decided to kill Agarwal themselves, and watched murder films, searched online, and used ChatGPT for the purpose. They also listened to podcasts on how to avoid detection by police as part of their preparations.
Studied Raja Raghuvanshi case
The chargesheet reportedly says Goyal had searched online about a similar incident at Lohagad in March last year in which a woman lost her life. The accused allegedly selected Lohagad believing Agarwal’s death could be mistaken for an accidental fall while taking a selfie.
They allegedly made several online searches to study the Sonam Raghuvanshi case, in which she allegedly got her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, an Indore resident, killed during their honeymoon in Meghalaya in May last year.
Also read: Ketan Agarwal murder: Siya, Chetan's 'secret marriage' under probe
According to the chargesheet, on June 4, Goyal allegedly insisted on visiting the fort as she wanted to execute the murder before a planned trip to Bali. However, the plan failed.
On June 6, while travelling for a pre-wedding photoshoot, she allegedly tore up Agarwal’s passport and discarded it in a washroom at a cafe in Khalapur, preventing the trip from taking place.
(With agency inputs)