Siya, Chetan tried hiring hitman with friend's help before pushing Ketan off fort

The investigation into the murder of 26-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal has taken a fresh turn. Police have now made a Bengaluru-based friend of Chetan Chaudhary, an accused in the case, a witness after saying that an attempt was made through him to arrange a contract killing.Ritesh Hange, another accused in the case and a friend of Chetan, helped him and Ketan's fiancee Siya Goyal plan the murder, according to the police investigation. Police allege that the contract killing attempt involving Chetan's Bengaluru-based friend was not executed.On September 18, Chetan and Ritesh met at Engineers Cafe in Pune. During the meeting, Chetan told Ritesh that Ketan had been killed and that the plan had been successfully executed.Police also conducted an identification parade of the accused last month. According to police, witnesses identified the accused during the parade. HOW THE MURDER WAS PLANNEDAccording to the chargesheet, Chetan and Siya decided to kill Ketan on May 25. Siya allegedly visited Lohagad on May 31 for the first recce of the location.On the 17th, Siya and Chetan allegedly met at a cafe, where they finalised the murder plan. The next day, at Lohagad, Siya sat near the edge of the cliff and pushed Ketan’s legs, while Chetan pushed him from behind. With no support nearby to hold on to, Ketan lost his balance and fell, police alleged.After the killing at Lohagad, Chetan came to the old Mumbai-Pune Highway, had breakfast and then proceeded towards Pune.Before carrying out the crime, Chetan and Siya deleted their WhatsApp chats. Police later recovered chats from Instagram and Snapchat.Police also found that Siya had broken a mobile phone before the murder. According to the investigation, the phone had been used to search online for information related to the murder, including searches on how to kill Ketan Agarwal. The damaged phone was later recovered from her bedroom.The developments come from the Pune Rural Police chargesheet filed before the Vadgaon Maval court .The 5,053-page chargesheet includes digital and technical evidence, witness statements and other material collected during the investigation. Police have recorded statements of around 80 to 85 witnesses, including three who witnessed the crime. Both Siya and Chetan are in custody.- EndsPublished On: Sep 19, 2026 20:07 IST