New Delhi (India) June 23: The Pune court has sent arrested accused Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary in judicial custody for seven days in the Lohagad Fort murder case. Lonavala Rural Police had asked for police custody of the accused in connection with alleged murder of Ketan Agarwal in order to probe further in the case. The court ordered police custody of the accused till June 29 after hearing the case.

Police Says Accident Theory Appeared Doubtful

Speaking to the media, Pune Rural SP Sandeep Singh Gill said the two have confessed to their involvement in the murder. 

"Subsequent inquiries and information gathered from relatives and friends raised suspicions; it seemed unlikely for such an accident to occur spontaneously, especially given that Ketan was an experienced trekker. The family expressed doubts, and a formal complaint was lodged based on these suspicions," he said.

Father Alleges Siya Pushed Ketan

Ketan’s father, Vishal Agarwal said that on June 14th Siya had pushed Ketan from the fort.

"On June 14, they both went to the fort alone, and Siya pushed Ketan. After the push, Ketan grabbed a bush and escaped. Fearing the secret would be revealed, Siya shouted 'snake, snake'," Agarwal said.

Bali Trip Cancelled After Passport Loss

Vishal added that Ketan and Siya were flying to Bali for a pre wedding shoot,when they came to the airport Ketan's passport was lost.

"When they arrived at the airport, everyone's passports were there, but Ketan's passport was missing. It seemed as if it had fallen somewhere. They tried to search for it, but the passport was nowhere to be found. Therefore, they returned. After returning, on the third or fourth day, she quarrelled with him again, arguing that they had to go to Lohagad Fort," he said.

"And then, on June 14, she went to Lohagad. They were both alone at that time. She pushed Ketan. After being pushed, Ketan slipped backwards, and escaped by grabbing hold of a bush. He then began to regain consciousness, realising that he had been pushed and that he had survived. Siya immediately shouted, 'snake, snake' and went and hugged him," he added.

Murder Charges Filed After Probe

The death of Ketan, director of his family's real estate firm, was initially deemed an accident. An accidental death report was filed on the basis of Siya Goyal’s statement to Police. She said that Ketan had slipped while the couple was on an excursion at the hill fort. 

But officials later deemed the circumstances suspicious and on Tuesday arrested the accused on grounds of murder and criminal conspiracy. Siya managed a bakery business while her alleged partner, Chetan Babulal Chaudhary, 22 owned a dry fruit company.