Pune (Maharashtra) [India], September 19 (ANI): The Pune Rural Police have filed a 5,053-page chargesheet against three accused in connection with the alleged murder of businessman Ketan Agrawal, whose body was found after he fell into a gorge at Maharashtra's Lohagad Fort, officials said.
According to Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, the accused have been identified as Siya Goyal, Chetan Chaudhary and Ritesh Hange. Police have alleged that the three conspired to kill Agrawal after initially planning to cause him serious injuries.
The chargesheet, filed before the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court in Vadgaon Maval, contains details of physical, technical, forensic and medical evidence collected during the investigation.
A police source added that the accused allegedly contacted several people from outside Maharashtra as part of their initial plan to cause serious injuries to Agrawal. However, they later abandoned the plan after allegedly fearing that the involvement of an outsider could lead to complications. One of the persons contacted during the alleged conspiracy has subsequently become a prosecution witness, sources said.
According to the police investigation, the accused later allegedly decided to execute the murder themselves. Police said they studied murder-related films and podcasts discussing ways to evade police detection and also studied the Meghalaya murder case involving Sonam Raghuvanshi.
The investigation allegedly found that the accused began planning the crime in March 2026 and finalised the murder plan in May.
Police also said Goyal and Chaudhary visited Lonavala towards the end of May and conducted a recce of several locations, including Tiger Point. During the recce, they allegedly noticed that there were no CCTV cameras at some locations.
The accused subsequently surveyed several hill locations before allegedly selecting Lohagad Fort.
Police said the selection of Lohagad was allegedly influenced by an earlier incident in March 2025 in which a woman had died after falling from the fort. The accused allegedly believed that Agrawal's death could be perceived as an accidental fall while taking a selfie.
According to the investigation, Goyal allegedly insisted on visiting Lohagad on June 4, shortly before the couple was scheduled to travel to Bali for a pre-wedding shoot.
Police said that on June 6, while travelling towards the airport, Goyal allegedly tore Agrawal's passport and discarded it in a washroom at a cafe in Khalapur, following which the couple could not travel to Bali.
Police said Goyal and Agrawal subsequently visited Lohagad on June 14. According to the chargesheet, Goyal allegedly attempted to push Agrawal from the fort, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
She allegedly then created a false alarm by claiming that a snake was present at the location, but the attempt allegedly did not succeed, police said.
The accused subsequently created a fake Instagram account named "Mahi". Police said a photograph of a woman known to them was allegedly used for the account.
On June 18, a message was allegedly sent to Agrawal through the fake account, claiming that the account holder was Goyal's friend and asking him to bring Goyal to Lohagad so that her birthday could be celebrated as a surprise.
Police have alleged that Hange was involved in planning the use of the fake account.
According to police, Chaudhary reached Lohagad through an exit route and subsequently went to a temple on the fort and waited there.
A Senior Police official said Goyal signalled Chaudhary to move to the designated location. When Agrawal was not looking, Goyal is accused of pushing him from behind by his shoulder while Chaudhary pushed his leg.
The chargesheet alleges that Chaudhary subsequently kicked Agrawal, following which he fell into the gorge and died.
Police have alleged that Hange was involved in planning the overall conspiracy.
The chargesheet includes statements of five eyewitnesses, police said. It also contains WhatsApp chats, call detail records, forensic evidence, medical reports and statements of cyber and medical experts.
Police said the fake "Mahi" Instagram account was deleted after the alleged murder.
The police have submitted the collected evidence and other documents along with the chargesheet. The court will now scrutinise the chargesheet and supporting documents before deciding the subsequent legal proceedings.
After the court completes the requisite process, formal charges may be framed against the accused, after which the trial can proceed.
Advocate Ram Sahane, representing accused Chetan Chaudhary, and Advocate Nitin Bhalerao have confirmed that the chargesheet has been filed. The defence will examine the chargesheet and place the accused's case before the court, he said.
All three accused, Siya Goyal, Chetan Chowdhury and Ritesh Hange is judicial custody and currently placed in Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.
The allegations in the chargesheet are yet to be tested before the court, and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. (ANI)
Ketan Agarwal Murder Case: Pune Rural Police file chargesheet against three accused
