Pune Fort Murder: Brother of Accused Siya Goyal Says Family Would Have Stopped Wedding If She Objected
The brother of Siya Goyal, one of the two accused in the murder of 25-year-old Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal, told police on Friday that the family would have called off the wedding if Siya had expressed any discomfort about the marriage.
Sahil Goyal, Siya's brother, was questioned for nearly 10 hours at the Lonavala rural police station. According to officials, he was summoned in the morning and allowed to return home late in the evening. During interrogation, he was asked about his sister's relationship with co-accused Chetan Chaudhary and was cross-checked on several details.
"If Siya had said she didn't like Ketan, we would have stopped the wedding," Sahil told the police, as reported by news agency PTI.
The investigation into the murder of Ketan Agarwal, who was allegedly pushed off a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18, has so far included questioning of seven individuals. Police allege that Siya Goyal, 20, and her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary, 22, conspired to kill Agarwal because Siya no longer wanted to proceed with the wedding scheduled for November.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Lonavala division) Gajanan Tonpe said the roles of both accused have been established. "So far, the roles of both Siya and Chetan have been established in the alleged murder of Ketan," Tonpe said, adding that more relatives and friends will be summoned for questioning.
Investigators are now planning to recreate the crime scene using a dummy body to establish the sequence of events. Sources indicated that several important details emerged during Sahil's interrogation, and his statement suggests that Siya may not have shared her concerns about the marriage with her family.
Meanwhile, Ketan Agarwal's father, Vishal Agarwal, rejected claims that his son's use of a hair wig could have been a motive for the killing. "Ketan had a small patch of hair loss due to medical reasons, but this was clearly communicated well before the marriage was finalised," he said. "If she had any issues, she could have just said no. It would have been very easy for Siya to simply call off the wedding if that was an issue for her."
The case has drawn attention at the state level. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met the victim's father in Pune and assured full support. The state government has accepted the family's demand to try the case in a fast-track court and has appointed Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor. Calling the incident shocking, Fadnavis said it reflects a social issue. "It is an extremely shocking and incomprehensible incident. As a society, we need to reflect on why educated young men and women from good families develop such criminal intent and a desire for revenge. This is not merely a criminal issue; it also has a social angle," he said.
