- Chetan’s family defends his innocence, disputes police claims.
The investigation into the alleged murder of Pune businessman Ketan Agarwal has taken a new turn, with the family of co-accused Chetan Chaudhary publicly defending him and challenging the police version of events.
Ketan Agarwal died after falling into a gorge at Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18. What was initially reported as an accident has since been treated as a murder case, with police alleging that Agarwal’s fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her alleged boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhary, conspired to kill him and disguise the crime as a tragic fall.
While investigators maintain that both accused were involved in a planned conspiracy, Chetan’s relatives insist he has been wrongly implicated.
Family Says Chetan Is Being Falsely Accused
Speaking to reporters, Chetan’s father, Babulal Chaudhary, strongly denied that his son had any role in the alleged crime.
“We have never seen the girl in question and know absolutely nothing about her. I saw her for the first time at the police station,” he said.
According to Babulal, when he met his son after the arrest, Chetan maintained that he was nowhere near the couple when the incident occurred.
He said Chetan told him he was “standing way far” from Siya and Ketan when the fatal fall took place.
Babulal described his son as a hardworking young man who regularly assisted at the family’s grocery shop and expressed disbelief at the allegations against him.
Father Questions Police Handling of Case
Chetan’s father also alleged that police initially provided misleading information regarding the nature of the case.
According to him, family members were first informed that the matter involved fraud and were led to believe that Chetan would soon be released.
He claimed they only later learned that investigators were treating the matter as a murder case.
“I want my son to be acquitted. He cannot do something like this,” Babulal said, further alleging that Siya was attempting to shift responsibility onto Chetan in order to protect herself.
Uncle Defends Chetan’s Character
The accused’s uncle, Udayram Chaudhary, also came forward in support of Chetan, insisting that he was incapable of committing such a crime.
“Chetan is completely innocent in this matter. The media is hyping this up and showing a one-sided view on Instagram, but Chetan is not involved in it. Chetan is a sportsman and a very straightforward person; there has never been a single complaint against him from anyone in the market. We even got a chance to meet him for a minute, and he told us while crying that he was being falsely implicated in this…”
His remarks highlight the growing divide between the claims made by investigators and the defence being put forward by the accused’s family.
Police Stand By Murder Conspiracy Theory
Police sources continue to maintain that Chetan was present at Lohagad Fort when Siya allegedly lured Ketan to the location.
Investigators believe the pair acted together and pushed Ketan into the valley, leading to his death. Authorities have described the incident as the result of a planned conspiracy and say evidence gathered during the investigation supports that conclusion.
Both Siya and Chetan were arrested on June 23 following extensive questioning. Police are continuing to analyse witness statements, digital evidence and other material collected during the probe.
