The Lohagad fall: How a birthday celebration turned into a murder investigation

A birthday trip. A secret relationship. A failed first attempt. A second journey to the same fort. And a fatal fall that police now believe was never an accident at all.

Before all that, the story began like a fairy tale.

Twenty-five-year-old Ketan Agarwal was weeks away from marrying Siya Goyal. The wedding preparations were in full swing.

According to his family, Ketan had booked nearly 40 rooms at a luxury resort in Mahabaleshwar for Siya's birthday celebrations and was making elaborate arrangements for their wedding in Jaipur. The couple had even planned a pre-wedding trip to Bali.

But behind the celebrations, police later alleged, a very different story was unfolding.

According to investigators, 20-year-old Siya did not want to marry Ketan. Police claimed she was involved in a relationship with 22-year-old Chetan Chaudhary and allegedly viewed her fiancé as the biggest obstacle standing between them.

Investigators now believe the alleged murder plot began days before Ketan's death.

On June 14, Siya and Chetan took Ketan to Lohagad Fort near Pune. During that trip, they allegedly attempted to push him into a valley after creating panic over a snake sighting. Ketan escaped unharmed and, unaware of any danger, returned home. The plan failed.

Five days later, on June 19, the trio returned to the same fort.

This time, the outing appeared completely innocent. It was presented as a birthday trip for Siya. Ketan joined the celebration without suspicion. According to police, Chetan reached the location separately to avoid attracting attention.

Then came the moment that initially appeared to be a tragic accident.

Ketan plunged nearly 350 feet into a deep valley at Lohagad Fort. Investigators first believed he had slipped while taking photographs near the edge. With his wedding just weeks away, the incident was treated as a heartbreaking accident that had cut short a young man's future.

But as detectives began reconstructing the final days before his death, cracks started appearing in the official narrative.

One of the first questions involved the Bali trip.

Family members told investigators that the couple had planned to travel abroad before their wedding. However, Siya had allegedly informed Ketan that she had lost her passport, forcing them to cancel the trip.

Police claim that the passport had not been lost at all. Investigators claimed she had deliberately torn it up and discarded it in a hotel washroom.

The investigation gathered momentum as officers examined mobile phone records, social media activity and other digital evidence. Police said they discovered inconsistencies in Siya's statements and evidence that allegedly pointed towards a continuing relationship with Chetan.

According to investigators, the digital trail, combined with witness statements and the circumstances surrounding both visits to Lohagad Fort, transformed the case from an accidental death investigation into a suspected murder conspiracy.

Police now allege that the fatal fall was carefully planned to look like an accident. Investigators believe the birthday celebration provided the perfect cover, while the location offered a setting where a push into the valley could easily be mistaken for a tragic misstep.

What began as a love story headed toward marriage ultimately became a murder investigation involving allegations of betrayal, deception, and a deadly conspiracy.