In a disturbing confession to the police, Siya Goyal, the main accused in the murder of Ketan Agarwal, said that she thought it was ‘easier’ to kill her fiancé than tell her family to call off her wedding.
Ketan Agarwal fell to his death from a cliff in Lohagad fort on June 18. Cops alleged that Goyal and her boyfriend, Chetan Choudary, 22, planned to kill the 26-year-old to end the arranged marriage.
In a confession to the Pune Rural Police, she said that she chose to kill her fiancé rather than confront her family and ask them to stop the wedding, as she didn't want to hurt her family’s sentiments. Siya had earlier told investigators that she disliked Ketan because he wore a wig for baldness and had a lisp or stammer.
Reacting to the statement, Ketan's father, Vishal Agarwal, told reporters that "Wearing a wig cannot be a reason to kill my son."
Reports also say that Siya, who turned 20 in June, told police that she believed that she wouldn't have to marry for at least three more years if she killed Ketan. Chetan Choudhary also reported the same and said that he wanted two to three more years before getting married.
They both thought that it was best to kill Ketan rather than bring shame to the Siya’s family by breaking off a publicised engagement.
Police also said that Goyal’s family knew about Siya’s relationship with Chetan Choudhary and ignored it to arrange a marriage for the then 19-year-old.
Investigators said that her family ignored her relationship with Chetan due to the financial difference between their families.
They then proceeded to arrange her engagement to Ketan Agarwal, who was the son of a wealthy business family.
On Thursday, Siya’s father, Pravin Goyal, denied that their family knew of Chetan Choudhary to reporters.
He said that Siya was a “simple 19-year-old girl” and that he had “never seen his (Chetan’s) face.”
He also claimed that Siya never objected to the arranged marriage.
However, Siya’s older brother Sahil Goyal told police that the two had met via him during a community cricket match in January. The brother was questioned for at least 10 hours on the case before he was let go.
Police also questioned Narendra Mittal, the matchmaker who introduced the Goyal and Agarwal families. Mittal is Ketan's father's maternal uncle. He is also brother-in-law to Pooja Goyal, Siya's mother, News18 reported. Mittal told investigators that his role was limited and that he had no involvement beyond arranging the alliance.
