As the investigation into the death of businessman Ketan Vishal Agarwal continues to unfold, the father of one of the key accused, Chetan Chaudhary, on Wednesday asserted that his son was innocent and was being falsely implicated in the case.

Chetan is the alleged lover of Siya Goyal, the fiancée of Agarwal, who was killed in a planned and premeditated manner at Lohagad Fort on June 18.

Speaking to ANI, Chetan’s father, Babulal Chaudhary, insisted that his son had no role in pushing Agarwal off the cliff and claimed that he was being falsely implicated in the case.

Also Read: Ketan Agarwal’s death appeared accidental, until one mistake exposed his fiancee’s murder plot

“He is being falsely framed and has no involvement in this matter. He clearly told us that he did not push the boy and was standing far away. The girl was the one standing right there when the boy fell. I do not know whether she pushed him or not, but Chetan mentioned that he was standing a little further back,” Babulal said.

He added that neither he nor his wife was aware of any such situation and that Chetan had only informed them that he was going for a meeting.

“He did not inform me beforehand. He only mentioned that he had a meeting and was heading there. He had told his mother that in the morning, and he told me the same. He did not give me any other details before leaving after speaking with his mother,” he said.

Also Read: Pune trek murder: The CCTV visuals that blew lid off businessman’s killing by fiancé, her boyfriend

Babulal further said that he had neither heard of nor seen Siya before her name surfaced in connection with the case.

“We have never seen the girl in question and know absolutely nothing about her. In fact, I only found out her name, Siya, yesterday. I have never seen her before,” he said.

Babulal added that the police had assured him that the case involved fraud and that Chetan would be released shortly.

“The police have informed us that this is a minor issue and is actually a case of fraud. They assured us they would release the child to us within two hours…”

Also Read: Who was Ketan Agarwal, the Pune businessman killed by fiancee Siya Goyal and her lover?

“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,” he told ANI.

He added that the family was unaware of Chetan’s relationship with Siya and said that during the brief time they were allowed to meet him, Chetan maintained that he was being falsely implicated.

Also Read: Siya’s constant phone use, mention of Chetan: Pune man’s father recalls ‘ignored red flags’ about fiancée

“Our family members do not know anything about Chetan’s relationship with that girl; we had absolutely no idea. 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,” Udayram added.

Despite the family’s claim, Pune Police have booked Siya (20) and Chetan (22) for murder and conspiracy under sections 103 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The two have been arrested and sent to seven days of police custody on Tuesday.

Siya initially told police that Ketan had slipped while taking photographs near the fort and fallen into a valley. However, investigators revisited the case after his parents expressed doubts, arguing that Ketan was an experienced trekker and unlikely to have fallen from that spot.

During the investigation, a major breakthrough came from CCTV footage that allegedly showed Chetan wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head and headphones on a hot morning when temperatures were around 33 degrees Celsius.

“When we checked the June 18 temperature, it was 33 degrees Celsius that morning. During scrutiny of CCTV footage from the foothills, we noticed a person wearing a hoodie with his head covered and also wearing headphones. This raised suspicion because such clothing was unusual considering the weather conditions,” Tayade told HT.

Police said this detail helped them narrow down the suspect list and connect Chaudhary to the scene.

Four days before the incident, the couple had visited Lohagad Fort, where Siya allegedly attempted to push him off a cliff after claiming she had spotted a snake, police said. Ketan reportedly managed to save himself by holding onto a bush.

Ketan and Siya were scheduled to travel to Bali for a pre-wedding photoshoot, but the trip was cancelled at Mumbai airport after Ketan’s passport went missing.

Ketan’s family alleged that Siya may have taken the passport during a stop in Lonavala, leading to the cancellation of the trip.

Police further alleged that they met at a cafe before the incident and discussed how and where an “accident” could be staged at Lohagad Fort.