Pune: The murder case of 26 year old businessman Ketan Agarwal, who allegedly died after being pushed from Lohagad Fort in Pune, has taken another turn with the arrest of a third person.
Police arrested Ritesh Hange, a friend of Ketan’s fiancee’s alleged boyfriend, on September 4. Investigators suspect Hange knew about the alleged plan to kill Ketan and was in touch with the other accused.
According to police, Hange’s name came up during the investigation after officers recovered deleted WhatsApp conversations between him and Chetan Chaudhary, who is already an accused in the case. Hange was produced before a court in Vadgaon Maval and has been remanded to police custody until September 12. He has been booked under Section 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for alleged criminal conspiracy.
The case dates back to June 18, when Ketan died after falling from Lohagad Fort. He had reportedly gone to the fort with his fiancee, Siya Goyal. What was initially believed to be an accidental fall later turned into a murder investigation.
Police allege that Siya and Chetan were in a relationship despite her engagement to Ketan. Investigators believe the relationship and Ketan’s upcoming marriage to Siya may have been linked to the alleged murder plan.
Siya and Chetan were arrested on June 23 and are currently in judicial custody. According to the investigation, the two had allegedly been in a relationship since October. Ketan and Siya had got engaged in February and were reportedly planning to marry later this year.
Police are also investigating an alleged earlier attempt on Ketan’s life. Investigators have claimed that during an earlier visit to Lohagad, Siya allegedly pushed Ketan while telling him that she had seen a snake and was trying to save him. That allegation is part of the investigation and has not been proven in court.
The latest arrest has given investigators another lead as they try to piece together what happened before Ketan’s death and determine the exact role allegedly played by each person.
For now, three people have been arrested in connection with the case, while the investigation continues. The police are also looking into the digital evidence and communications recovered during the probe.
It is important to note that the allegations against the accused have not been proven in court, and all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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