Silent signal and wait before the push: Pune police establish timeline of Ketan Agarwal death at Lohagad Fort

Fresh details have emerged in the Lohagad Fort murder probe, with investigators piecing together a minute-by-minute reconstruction of the events they believe led to the death of 25-year-old Ketan Agarwal on June 18. The latest findings trace the alleged movements of the accused, the sequence of events at the fort and what happened immediately after Agarwal was allegedly pushed into the gorge.

According to information exclusively accessed by News18, Ketan Agarwal's car crossed the Urse toll naka from the Pune side at 8.41 AM on June 18.

Investigators estimate it takes around one hour to travel from the toll naka to Lohagad Fort, suggesting Agarwal and his fiancee, Siya Goyal, would have reached the base of the fort between 9.40 AM and 9.45 AM.

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Police further estimate that an average person takes around 22-25 minutes to climb to the top of the fort. Based on that assessment, investigators believe the couple would have reached the summit by around 10.15 AM.

According to the investigation, co-accused Chetan Babulal Chaudhary initially followed the couple. However, because he climbed faster, investigators believe he reached the top before Agarwal and Goyal and waited there.

Police allege pre-arranged signal

Investigators claim Siya Goyal sitting down was the pre-decided signal for Chaudhary to push Agarwal into the gorge.

According to the reconstructed timeline, the alleged push took place at around 10.30 AM.

Police believe Chaudhary immediately fled the spot after the incident, while Goyal allegedly began shouting, "Help, Help".

At 10.41 AM, Goyal called Ketan Agarwal's mother to inform her about the incident.

What happened after the incident

Police were subsequently alerted, and Goyal remained at the fort until officers and family members reached the scene. According to investigators, she stayed there until Agarwal's body was retrieved from the gorge.

The body was then shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination. Police said family members remained at the hospital until around 4.30 PM to 5 PM, and Goyal also stayed until all formalities had been completed.

Six police teams have been formed to gather evidence and carry the investigation forward. Investigators are also expected to recreate the crime scene as part of the probe.

From trekking accident to murder investigation

Ketan Agarwal's death on June 18 was initially believed to be a trekking accident at Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra's Pune district. The case later took a dramatic turn after police claimed the 25-year-old had not accidentally fallen into the nearly 400-foot-deep gorge but was allegedly pushed by his fiancee, Siya Goyal, and her alleged lover, Chetan Babulal Chaudhary.

On June 23, police arrested Goyal and Chaudhary on charges of murdering Agarwal by pushing him off the cliff. Police said the two have confessed to the crime and are also investigating whether this was their fourth attempt to kill the 25-year-old.

Wedding preparations were under way

Agarwal was the son of prominent Maharashtra construction businessman Vishal Agarwal from Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune. He got engaged to Goyal in February, and the couple were scheduled to marry in Udaipur in November.

Their families had planned a lavish wedding in Jaipur, booking a luxury palace for Rs 17 crore and arranging two private aircraft to fly guests to the celebrations.