In a chilling development in the murder of Ketan Agarwal, 26, it has been alleged that Siya Goyal's lover Chetan Chaudhary blackmailed her with their private chats and threatened to expose their romantic relationship if she did not help him get rid of her fiance, according to a report.
Siya, 20, and Chetan, 22, allegedly pushed Ketan from the edge of Lohagad Fort in Pune into the 400-foot-deep gorge below. Though she had initially claimed that it was an accidental fall, police uncovered the murder angle based on witness statements and technical evidence. Siya allegedly gave a pre-decided signal before Chetan pushed him to his death.
Investigators are now probing whether Chetan blackmailed Siya into committing the crime and threatened to expose their relationship to the Agarwal family who owned a prominent real estate business, reports NDTV. They are also examining Siya's financial records to find out if money was one of the motives behind the murder.
Earlier, it was reported that it was Chetan who instigated Siya to eliminate Ketan. "From the questioning of both the accused it has come to light that it was Chaudhary who instigated Siya Goyal to eliminate Agarwal at Lohagad Fort," an official said on Friday.
When asked about media reports allgeing that Siya disliked Chetan because he wore a wig, a police source said it could not be determined whether it was the sole reason for the murder.
When police asked Siya why they did not elope instead of murdering Ketan, she said eloping would have brought disrepute to their families.
The Agarwal family's demand to try the case in a fast-track court was accepted by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who on Friday assured Ketan's father Vishal Agarwal that the government would spare no effort in securing justice.
Siya's father also sought harshest possible punishment for the accused, stating that those responsible, even if it is his own daughter, should be hurled down from the fort the same way Ketan was pushed to his death.
"Ketan was like a son to me, and the loss had shattered both our families. We were eagerly preparing for the wedding," he added. "Whatever has happened is deeply tragic. Even today we cannot bring ourselves to believe it."
