Lohagad trip was Ketan's idea: Siya's mother claims she did not want to go trekking
Siya Goyal's parents said Ketan Agarwal insisted on the Lohagad Fort trek despite her reluctance. They claimed phone chats support their account and show the outing was not her plan.
The mother of the Pune murder accuser Siya Goyal on Thursday claimed that the trek to Lohagad Fort, where the businessman Ketan Agarwal pushed to death, was planned at Ketan's insistence and not Siya's.
Speaking to India Today TV, Siya's mother, Pooja Goyal, said her daughter had initially refused to join the trek and she even asked her mother to persuade Ketan to drop the plan as the couple was scheduled to travel to Mahabaleshwar the next day.
"Siya told me, 'Mummy, Ketan is asking me to come for trekking, but I don't want to go. Please ask him not to insist.' But Ketan's mother told her, 'If Ketan is asking you to come, then go. He may have planned a birthday surprise for you'," Pooja Goyal said.
She further claimed that Siya had reminded Ketan that they were due to leave for Mahabaleshwar the following day and would be exhausted if they went trekking. "Siya had told Ketan that they were supposed to go to Mahabaleshwar the next day and would get tired if they went trekking. She suggested making some other plan instead. But Ketan replied in the chat, 'Trust me a little, let's go,'" Pooja Goyal said.
Claiming that the conversations are available on Siya's phone, Pooja Goyal added, "The chats are there on her phone. You can see them. Ketan was the one insisting that they go to Lohagad."
The mother's claims contradict the police's preliminary findings, which allege that Siya was the one who initiated and insisted on the trek, while the murder was allegedly planned in advance with co-accused Chetan Chaudhary.
According to police, the Siya and Chetan allegedly lured Ketan to a secluded section of Lohagad Fort, where they pushed him into a 350-metre-deep gorge, killing him. The woman then told Ketan's family and authorities that he had accidentally slipped and fallen. The probe has also found that this was not Siya's first attempt to kill Ketan, with the police claiming she had made an earlier attempt that failed.
Speaking to India Today TV, the parents also denied having any knowledge of their daughter's relationship with Chetan. They maintained that before the marriage was finalised, Siya had repeatedly told the family that she liked Ketan, wanted to marry him and was not involved with anyone else.
"Before we fixed Siya's marriage, we asked her repeatedly, at least ten times. We told her, 'Siya, we are planning your marriage. Do you like Ketan? Do you want to go ahead with this marriage?' Every time she told us, 'Yes, I like Ketan'," she said.
According to Pooja Goyal, Siya consistently assured the family that she was happy with the alliance.
The accused's father, Praveen Goyal, also rejected suggestions that there had been warning signs before the engagement. Referring to reports that Ketan had expressed concerns to his own family about Siya's phone frequently being busy, Goyal said those concerns were never conveyed to them.
The mother of the Pune murder accuser Siya Goyal on Thursday claimed that the trek to Lohagad Fort, where the businessman Ketan Agarwal pushed to death, was planned at Ketan's insistence and not Siya's.
Speaking to India Today TV, Siya's mother, Pooja Goyal, said her daughter had initially refused to join the trek and she even asked her mother to persuade Ketan to drop the plan as the couple was scheduled to travel to Mahabaleshwar the next day.
"Siya told me, 'Mummy, Ketan is asking me to come for trekking, but I don't want to go. Please ask him not to insist.' But Ketan's mother told her, 'If Ketan is asking you to come, then go. He may have planned a birthday surprise for you'," Pooja Goyal said.
She further claimed that Siya had reminded Ketan that they were due to leave for Mahabaleshwar the following day and would be exhausted if they went trekking. "Siya had told Ketan that they were supposed to go to Mahabaleshwar the next day and would get tired if they went trekking. She suggested making some other plan instead. But Ketan replied in the chat, 'Trust me a little, let's go,'" Pooja Goyal said.
Claiming that the conversations are available on Siya's phone, Pooja Goyal added, "The chats are there on her phone. You can see them. Ketan was the one insisting that they go to Lohagad."
The mother's claims contradict the police's preliminary findings, which allege that Siya was the one who initiated and insisted on the trek, while the murder was allegedly planned in advance with co-accused Chetan Chaudhary.
According to police, the Siya and Chetan allegedly lured Ketan to a secluded section of Lohagad Fort, where they pushed him into a 350-metre-deep gorge, killing him. The woman then told Ketan's family and authorities that he had accidentally slipped and fallen. The probe has also found that this was not Siya's first attempt to kill Ketan, with the police claiming she had made an earlier attempt that failed.
Speaking to India Today TV, the parents also denied having any knowledge of their daughter's relationship with Chetan. They maintained that before the marriage was finalised, Siya had repeatedly told the family that she liked Ketan, wanted to marry him and was not involved with anyone else.
"Before we fixed Siya's marriage, we asked her repeatedly, at least ten times. We told her, 'Siya, we are planning your marriage. Do you like Ketan? Do you want to go ahead with this marriage?' Every time she told us, 'Yes, I like Ketan'," she said.
According to Pooja Goyal, Siya consistently assured the family that she was happy with the alliance.
The accused's father, Praveen Goyal, also rejected suggestions that there had been warning signs before the engagement. Referring to reports that Ketan had expressed concerns to his own family about Siya's phone frequently being busy, Goyal said those concerns were never conveyed to them.
