Siya Goyal, Lover Wanted To Injure Husband, But Later Dropped 'Risky' Plan

Pune: The woman and the lover accused in the Pune fort murder case had initially discussed injuring her fiance to delay their upcoming marriage but soon realised the plan was 'risky' and decided to kill him, the police said.Siya Goyal, 20, and her 22-year-old lover, Chetan Chaudhary, allegedly pushed her 26-year-old fiance, Ketan Agarwal, into a gorge from the Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18. Siya and Ketan, both from Pune, got engaged in February and were scheduled to get married in a grand ceremony in Jaipur in November.After the incident, she told his family that he had slipped during the trek. However, the police investigation into the case later unravelled the alleged conspiracy behind the murder, and both were arrested on June 23."Goyal didn't want to elope as she didn't wish to bring disrepute to her family or embarrass Agarwal's family. They (Goyal and Chaudhary) initially looked for ways to prevent the marriage from taking place," the news agency PTI quoted a police officer as saying on Tuesday.Goyal and Chaudhary discussed the idea of causing injuries to Agarwal through some kind of accident so that the wedding would be postponed, but the idea was dismissed, he said."Their initial plan was only to injure him (Agarwal) to make it appear like an accident," the officer said.The urgency to execute a plan increased in the run-up to Goyal and Agarwal's planned trip to Bali in Indonesia in June."Goyal and Agarwal were scheduled to spend eight days together in Bali after flying out on June 6. When they (Goyal and Chaudhary) realised that the idea to harm Agarwal somehow was not feasible, they decided to execute the plan themselves."They feared that if Agarwal survived and got wind of their conspiracy, he would expose them. That is when they allegedly decided to eliminate him," the officer said.Siya Goyal, Lover Watched "Suspense Films" Before Ketan Agarwal's MurderThe officer said the conspiracy evolved over several weeks, and it was preceded by extensive online searches, reconnaissance visits, and repeated discussions between the accused duo.In order to project Agarwal's death as an accident, they also allegedly watched suspense films and browsed the internet before deciding that pushing him off a cliff was the best option, the officer said.The second stage of planning involved scouting for appropriate locations, leading them to explore several high-altitude locations, including Tiger Point in Lonavala and Visapur Fort. They exchanged photos before finalising the Lohagad Fort near Pune to execute the murder plan, he said.They focused on finding a spot where no evidence could be found after the murder, he said."The accused had explored multiple locations, including Tiger Point, Visapur Fort, and a few other forts in the region, before settling on Lohagad Fort. They exchanged photographs of these places and assessed which location would best suit their objective of making the death appear accidental while leaving behind no evidence," the official said.Investigators have claimed that the duo conspired to kill Agarwal as he was turning out to be an obstacle in their relationship.The officer said the duo was worried about the prospects of their relationship after Goyal got married to Agarwal.Goyal and Chaudhary also allegedly researched different methods of killing and browsed online for ways to avoid detection."They are suspected to have watched suspense films, carried out internet searches, and discussed various methods before deciding that pushing the victim off a cliff would best resemble an accident," the official said.According to investigators, Goyal had already visited Lohagad Fort with Agarwal on May 31."The visit appears to have been a reconnaissance exercise. The primary purpose was to identify a suitable spot from where the victim could be pushed. Had an opportunity presented itself that day, she might have attempted to kill him. Chaudhary deliberately stayed away during that visit to minimise risk," the officer said.Police suspect Goyal identified the location during that visit and later tried to persuade Agarwal to revisit the fort on June 3."His family discouraged the trip as the couple was scheduled to travel to Bali shortly. Investigators believe the accused were determined to derail that trip by any means," the officer said.The investigation showed that Goyal allegedly stole Agarwal's passport during a trip to Mumbai, resulting in the cancellation of the foreign trip.Police also suspect that Goyal made an unsuccessful attempt to kill him at Lohagad Fort on June 14."She allegedly pushed him off the cliff, but he managed to hold on to a bush and survived. She immediately claimed she had pushed him to save him from a snake, thereby deflecting suspicion," the officer said.Goyal and Chaudhary are currently in jail under judicial custody.