Pune Fort Murder: Chargesheet Reveals Chilling Pre-Murder Plan

Pune: A 5,053-page chargesheet in the murder of 25-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal has revealed that the accused allegedly first planned to take him to Bengaluru and break his limbs before deciding to kill him at Lohagad Fort.

According to the chargesheet, accused Ritesh Hange discussed the plan with a friend in Bengaluru, who opposed it. Police allege that Agarwal’s fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her lover, Chetan Chaudhary, then planned the murder with Hange.

The trio allegedly watched murder films, used ChatGPT to plan the crime and listened to podcasts on avoiding police detection.

Agarwal, who was engaged to Goyal in February, was allegedly pushed into a gorge at Lohagad Fort on June 18. The couple was scheduled to marry in Jaipur in November. Police have arrested Goyal, Chaudhary and Hange.

Passport Destroyed, Fake Instagram Account Created

On June 6, during preparations for a pre-wedding photoshoot, Goyal allegedly tore Agarwal’s passport and discarded it in a café washroom, preventing the planned trip. According to investigators, the idea came from Chaudhary.

Police also allege that Hange devised a plan to lure Agarwal to Lohagad using a fake Instagram account named ‘Mahi’, created with a woman’s photograph. Messages from the account allegedly invited Agarwal to the fort on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan involving Goyal. The account was deleted after the incident.

Goyal Allegedly Did Not Want to Marry Agarwal

The chargesheet states that Goyal had told several people she did not want to marry Agarwal.

In an alleged Snapchat conversation with a friend, she reportedly asked for an Aadhaar card to book a flight ticket, adding, “Send me your Aadhaar card to book tickets for a wedding that is never going to happen.”

Eyewitness Allegedly Threatened

An eyewitness, whose identity has been withheld, reportedly told police they saw Agarwal being pushed into the gorge. The witness alleged that Chaudhary later threatened them, saying, “Keep quiet, or I’ll throw you down from the fort too.”

The witness approached police five days after the incident after seeing media reports about the case.

Police have recorded statements from several people, including the eyewitness and a nail artist, as the investigation continues. Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam is reportedly being considered for appointment as Special Public Prosecutor.