Before killing Ketan, Siya, Chetan searched law student’s Lohagad death, mushroom poisoning
Source Entity
Sushant Kulkarni
Pune police investigation reveals Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary plotted the murder of Ketan Agarwal by researching staged accidents and toxic substances. The suspects allegedly looked into the death of a law student and mushroom poisoning cases before executing the crime at Lohagad Fort.
The Premeditated Nature of the Lohagad Fort Tragedy
The investigation into the murder of 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal on June 18 at Lohagad Fort has unveiled a chilling level of premeditation. Pune Rural police have confirmed that the victim’s fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her associate, Chetan Chaudhary, did not act on impulse. Instead, the duo engaged in extensive digital research to identify methods for staging a homicide as an accidental death, effectively attempting to manipulate the narrative before the crime was even committed.
Digital Footprints and Malicious Research
Evidence gathered by investigators indicates that the suspects’ search history played a pivotal role in the planning phase. Specifically, reports state that Siya Goyal researched the case of Manasi Govindpurkar, a law student whose death occurred in March 2025. By studying past incidents, the perpetrators appear to have been benchmarking their own actions against existing cases, likely seeking to understand how investigators categorize and process 'accidental' deaths in mountainous or fort-based terrains.
The Allure of Biological Hazards
Perhaps most disturbing is the revelation that the suspects explored biological agents as potential murder weapons. The investigation discovered searches related to the 'Death Cap Mushroom'—a notoriously lethal fungus—and a case study involving a woman in Australia who killed her family using similar toxic mushrooms. This indicates that the duo was evaluating multiple methods of dispatching the victim, moving from chemical or biological poisoning to the physical staging of an accident at the fort.
Strategic Location Selection
Lohagad Fort was not merely a backdrop but a tactical choice. By finalizing the location after deliberation, the suspects sought to leverage the environmental hazards of the fort to conceal their actions. The transition from researching mushroom poisoning to selecting a high-altitude, rugged location like Lohagad suggests a pivot toward a method that would leave fewer forensic traces than chemical poisoning, which is often detectable during post-mortem toxicological screenings.
Broader Implications of Digital Forensics
This case highlights the increasing reliance of law enforcement on digital forensic trails to dismantle complex criminal plots. The ability of the Pune Rural police to reconstruct the timeline of the suspects' intentions through their search history demonstrates how modern policing utilizes metadata to prove intent. In cases of domestic or interpersonal violence, this digital evidence is critical in distinguishing between a tragic accident and a calculated murder.
Conclusion and Future Trends
As this investigation continues, the focus will likely remain on the forensic evidence collected at the crime scene and the digital correspondence between the suspects. This tragedy serves as a grim reminder of how information accessibility can be weaponized in criminal planning. Moving forward, authorities will likely continue to emphasize the role of cyber-forensics in criminal justice, as the 'digital trail' becomes as essential as traditional physical evidence in securing convictions in high-profile homicide cases.