Pune Police Probe Secret Marriage Angle in Ketan Agarwal Homicide; Investigation Focuses on Special Marriage Act Fraud

PUNE — The Pune Rural Police have intensified their investigation into the suspected secret marriage between Siya Goyal and her lover, Chetan Chaudhary, a key element believed to have triggered the premeditated murder of Pune-based businessman Ketan Agarwal.

With both suspects currently in judicial custody, detectives are executing a multi-pronged probe spanning digital forensics, financial audits, and witness interrogations to legally establish the marriage. Investigators believe the rush to execute the murder plot occurred immediately after Agarwal’s family requested Goyal’s official documents to finalize registration for an upcoming destination wedding in Udaipur—a request that would have exposed her secret civil marriage.

Verifying the Marriage Registry and Tracing Witnesses

The core of the current police administrative push involves verifying local registrar records. Teams are auditing municipal databases to confirm if a legally binding marriage certificate was issued under the Special Marriage Act approximately four months ago.

If verified, this prior marriage would completely invalidate Goyal’s highly publicized February engagement to the late real estate businessman, Ketan Agarwal, providing a definitive legal motive for the crime.

Simultaneously, investigators are probing the logistics of the secret ceremony. Police are currently questioning two of Goyal’s close college acquaintances. The individuals are suspected of acting as complicit signatories and signing the official registry as witnesses to the marriage.

Digital Forensics and Financial Audits

The technical analysis wing of the Pune Rural Police is working to recover deleted digital evidence. Forensic experts are attempting to retrieve purged photographic data from a private Instagram account. Intelligence reports suggest the account contained images of Goyal and Chaudhary exchanging traditional wedding garlands, which would provide crucial circumstantial proof of the union.

In parallel, cyber and economic offenses teams are reviewing Chaudhary’s financial footprints. A thorough audit of his bank accounts is underway to investigate whether he transferred funds to an intermediary or middleman.

Investigators suspect that bribery was utilized to bypass the mandatory 30-day public notice period required under the Special Marriage Act, which would have otherwise alerted Goyal's family and the public to the union.

No Official Legal Confirmation Yet

Despite a mounting pile of digital logs, behavioral patterns, and circumstantial leads, the Pune Rural Police have emphasized that the secret marriage has not yet been officially validated as a proven legal fact.

As the intensive probe continues to gather corroborative evidence, no judicial body or family court has issued a formal ruling on the status of the marriage. Both Siya Goyal and Chetan Chaudhary remain under secure judicial custody as the state prepares its final charge sheet.