Pune: Pune Rural Police on Thursday claimed to have solved the mysterious death of a 25-year-old man at Lohagad Fort, alleging that his fiancée and her lover conspired to murder him by pushing him off the fort.
The arrested accused have been identified as Siya Praveen Goyal (20), a resident of Bibwewadi, Pune, and Chetan Babulal Chaudhary (22), a resident of Kondhwa. Police said the duo planned the murder as Siya allegedly did not want to marry her fiancé, Ketan Vishal Agarwal (25), and considered him an obstacle to her relationship with Chetan.
Ketan, a resident of Gahunje in Maval tehsil, was found dead in bushes on the western side of Lohagad Fort on June 18.
Initially, Siya told police that Ketan had accidentally slipped and fallen while the two were visiting the fort. Based on her statement, Lonavala Rural Police registered an accidental death case.
However, Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill ordered a parallel investigation by the Local Crime Branch after finding the circumstances surrounding the death suspicious. Two special teams were formed to probe the case.
During the investigation, police examined several angles, including personal relationships and technical evidence. They allegedly found that Siya was in a relationship with Chetan before her engagement to Ketan.
According to police, Siya and Ketan got engaged in February and were scheduled to marry next month. Investigators alleged that the impending marriage led to disputes between Siya and Chetan, following which they conspired to eliminate Ketan.
Police alleged that as part of the plan, Siya took Ketan to Lohagad Fort while Chetan secretly followed them. The two then allegedly pushed Ketan off the fort, causing his death.
Following a complaint filed by Ketan's father, Vishal Devichand Agarwal, Lonavala Rural Police registered a case of murder under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
"On the basis of suspicion raised by the family, we started examining technical evidence. The investigation revealed disputes between the accused over Siya's scheduled marriage with Ketan. They then conspired together and pushed Ketan from the fort, leading to his death," SP Sandeep Singh Gill said.
Both the accused have been arrested, the police said. Further investigation is underway.
