Hoodie at 33 degrees: How police cracked Ketan Agarwal murder case

What initially appeared to be a tragic trekking accident at Lohagad Fort near Pune was revealed as an alleged murder, and the entire plan unravelled due to a hoodie. 

The appearance of a hoodie led police to suspect foul play into what was initially believed to be an accident. The case revolves around 26-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal, who died after falling into a gorge during a visit to Lohagad Fort. Once the investigators reviewed the CCTV footage from the area, they began suspecting of ulterior motives.

A key breakthrough came when officers spotted a man wearing a hoodie trailing Agarwal and his fiancée, Siya Goyal, at the fort. The sighting raised suspicions because the man was dressed in a hoodie despite temperatures reaching around 33 degrees Celsius.

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Police then expanded their investigation, examining CCTV footage, mobile phone location data, call records and other digital evidence. The probe allegedly linked the hooded individual to Chetan Chaudhary and placed him near the fort at the time of the incident.

"The man was wearing shorts and a hoodie. The front part of the hoodie was pulled so low that his face could not be seen. Additionally, the man was wearing a headset over the hoodie. In another footage clip, we noticed Siya suddenly looking back and, at the same time, the man in the hoodie suddenly sitting down," the official said.

Investigators also found inconsistencies in statements provided during the initial inquiry. Further examination of the evidence led police to conclude that Agarwal’s death was not accidental.

The police also found that thousands of calls were placed between the two. "The technical analysis established a close connection between the duo and pointed towards a well-thought-out conspiracy. We then examined photographs and social media profiles linked to Chaudhary. A comparison of those images with CCTV footage from the fort showing a hooded individual in the area helped police narrow their focus on him," the official said.

Based on the findings, police arrested Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary. Authorities allege that the pair conspired to kill Agarwal and carried out the plan during the fort visit.