The investigation into the sensational Pune fort murder case has taken a new turn after police began probing claims that the prime accused, Siya Goyal, secretly married her boyfriend Chetan Chaudhary months before the death of her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal, at Lohagad Fort.
And investigators are looking to see if Goyal and Chaudhary confirmed their marriage under the Special Marriage Act just four months before Goyal’s engagement to Agarwal, sources say. If so, the marriage is one of the key pieces of evidence in the police’s long-standing investigation into what they believe was a pre-planned murder.
Police Verifying Marriage Certificate
According to sources, the Pune Rural Police is investigating whether the couple registered their marriage at a local registrar’s office in a confidential ceremony. The officials are also checking if a valid marriage certificate exists and are also investigating two of Goyal’s college friends who signed as witnesses during the registration process.
Investigators are also trying to recover deleted images from a private Instagram account that allegedly showed Goyal and Chaudhary wearing wedding garlands which could help establish the timeline of their relationship.
Probe into Possible Conspiracy
The murder plot may have been accelerated after Agarwal's family started requesting Goyal's documents to complete arrangements for the couple's destination wedding in Udaipur, scheduled for November.
Technical teams are now reviewing Chaudhary’s financial files to determine if he paid a middleman to bypass the mandatory public notice period required under the Special Marriage Act for marriage registration.
Both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary are in judicial custody as the investigation continues.
What happened at Lohagad Fort?
Ketan Agarwal, a 25-year-old Pune businessman and realtor, met Siya Goyal through family matchmakers. They got engaged in February and wedding preparations were already in place, with the couple booking a hotel in Udaipur for the celebrations.
But events turned tragic on June 18 when Agarwal died after falling from a cliff at Lohagad Fort in Pune district.
Though the fall was initially thought to be an accident; however, it was made more suspicious because there was evidence that the fall may have been part of a conspiracy; investigators found out that the fall may have been part of an arranged conspiracy.
According to the police, Chaudhary followed Goyal and Agarwal to the fort on the day of the incident, where investigators believe the murder plan was executed.
Investigation Continues
The alleged secret marriage has now emerged as a major lead in the case, as investigators are trying to establish if Goyal's engagement to Agarwal went ahead despite being in a marital relationship with Chaudhary.
Police are relying on digital evidence, financial records, witness statements and forensic analysis as they continue to piece together the sequence of events leading up to Agarwal’s death.
There are no final conclusions on the marriage, officials said, and the claims are still being considered. The accused will go to trial based on the evidence before the court, they said.
