28 June,2026 07:31 AM IST | Mumbai | Tanisha Banerjee
Ketan Agarwal (right) was allegedly pushed into a gorge from Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18 by Siya Goyal (left) and her lover, Chetan Choudhary. PIC/X@Tiger71450423
What initially appeared to be a tragic trekking accident at Pune's Lohagad Fort is now being investigated as a murder. On June 18, 26-year-old businessman Ketan Agarwal fell nearly 400 feet into a gorge during an outing with his fiancée, Siya Goyal. She told police that he had slipped while taking photographs near the valley edge and cited strong winds as the cause.
But investigators later found CCTV footage showing a hooded man, despite the 33-degree June heat, allegedly following the couple. The man was identified as Chetan Chaudhary, and the case soon took a dramatic turn from accidental death to suspected murder.
(From left to right) The 26-year-old victim Ketan Agarwal, 20-year-old accused Siya Goyal, and 22-year-old co-accused Chetan Choudhary. PIC/X@Ishanismm
The case has drawn comparisons with the recent Sonam Raghuvanshi case, in which investigators alleged that the woman conspired to kill her husband. According to police, Goyal has confessed that she chose to kill Agarwal rather than call off the wedding since she did not want to hurt her family's sentiments. That claim will be tested in court.
In a society where marriage remains deeply tied to family honour and social expectations, why do some women choose deception or, allegedly, violence instead of simply saying no? Why does ending a relationship seem harder than ending a life?
Shivanshi Shivhare has felt firsthand the effects of the lack of communication. She finds it triggering to watch the recent Lohagad murder case unfold because it reopens wounds that are barely two months old.
Atul Subhash left behind an 81-minute video talking about harassment by his wife and in-laws and the biased judicial system before he died by suicide. PIC/X@Aurelius_Core
In April this year, her 27-year-old brother, Utkarsh Shivhare, died by suicide after what the family describes as months of emotional turmoil following a breakdown in his marriage. Utkarsh and his wife had been together for eight years before marrying. Their marriage lasted a year.
"Three months before his death, things stopped working out between them. It was a trivial disagreement, like folding bedsheets," Shivanshi says. According to her, Utkarsh's wife left their home and returned to her hometown without explanation. "She just left. None of us were informed nor did we know anything." What followed, she says, was months of desperate attempts by Utkarsh to seek answers and reconciliation. He repeatedly tried reaching out to her, hoping for a conversation that never came. "Maybe she wanted out. But she never gave him a clear no. He kept waiting for an answer, for some closure. He went to meet her but was kicked out by his in-laws."
The family alleges that on the day he died, Utkarsh spent hours trying to contact her. "He called her over a thousand times and sent messages saying he was going to take his life." The allegations are now part of a police complaint filed by the family. His wife's version of events has not been publicly established, and the matter remains under investigation.
Post his death, Shivanshi says Utkarsh's wife posted about missing him. This draws a parallel to how Goyal too, started posting about missing Agarwal. "She had read the messages Utkarsh sent her which said he was going to take the drastic step. If she had informed any of us, he might have been alive today," she alleges. He was found half an hour later. "She didn't even come to the funeral. How is this not vindictive?" The despair is apparent in Shivanshi's voice.
Cases such as those involving Atul Subhash and Utkarsh, she says, highlight a growing conversation around men's mental health and the emotional distress that can accompany relationship breakdowns. "I am not saying anyone should stay in a marriage they don't want. But people need to communicate. Sometimes what destroys a person is not rejection itself, but never getting an answer. Utkarsh wanted to live. He had plans for the future." Today, Shivanshi is working on initiatives around men's mental health. However the loss and the grief remains raw.
A 51-year-old recalls her toxic marriage and how she stood up for herself by getting a divorce at the age of 23
For 51-year-old Kiran Singh [name changed], cases of people allegedly killing partners because they feel trapped in a marriage are difficult to comprehend since she has come out of a similar situation herself.
In 1999, at the age of 23, Singh entered an arranged marriage. Within months, she discovered that her husband was a drug addict and was experiencing withdrawal symptoms - information that had never been disclosed to her before the wedding.
"I kept trying to adjust, but after three or four months I knew I couldn't live like that," she recalls. One night, after making up her mind, she called her mother asking, "Do you want me to come home or should I go somewhere else?" The decision, she says, had already been made. Four months after the wedding, she walked out of the marriage and got divorced.
Looking at cases where women are accused of plotting the deaths of their partners, Singh believes the issue is often a lack of communication and support systems. "Maybe they feel nobody will understand them," she says. But she is unequivocal that feeling trapped is never a justification for violence. "I was unhappy too. I felt pressured into marriage too. But there is always a way out.
Stand up. Speak up. If a marriage isn't working, leave. But taking someone's life can never be the answer." Singh did exactly that. A year later, she met the man who is now her husband of more than two decades. Together they built a life and raised a son.
Family law advocate Krishna Chheda explains that no law allows a woman to be left without financial support for humanitarian reasons
On the question of if the law goes easy on women, Family law advocate Krishna Chheda says, "It is incorrect to assume that the law is biased towards women. Special provisions relating to arrest procedures or pregnancy exist on humanitarian grounds, not to shield women from accountability."
Chheda also points out that women who wish to leave unhappy marriages have several legal protections available to them. "No law allows a woman to be left without financial support," she says, citing remedies under the BNSS, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, Hindu Marriage Act and Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act.
"Getting a divorce in India is not as complicated as people think. The difficult part is convincing individuals to make that decision. In many cases, the social and emotional consequences of separation are far more intimidating than the legal process itself," she says.
Gender economist Mitali Nikore says that when women commit crime, it is often in self-defense or after prolonged abuse
Gender economist Mitali Nikore cautions against drawing sweeping conclusions from high-profile cases in which women are accused of extreme violence. "Historically, when women commit acts of serious violence, it is often linked to self-defence or prolonged abuse," she says, "Women committing murders remains relatively rare, whereas violence by men against women is far more common."
Nikore points to dowry deaths, acid attacks, and domestic violence as examples of the gendered nature of violence in India. "When a woman commits an extreme act, it gets amplified because it challenges social expectations. But we shouldn't lose sight of the larger reality."
Nikita Singhania, Atul Subhash's wife, was arrested post his suicide for abetting suicide and was later given bail. PIC/X@SumitHansd
However, she believes economic independence is a far more significant factor. Women who earn and participate in the workforce are often better positioned to choose partners, leave unhappy relationships, and make decisions without fear of financial dependence.
Shivanshi Shivhare lost her brother Utkarsh Shivhare to alleged mental harassment by the latter's wife and in-laws
"What society needs is a model where two adults enter a relationship on equal footing," she says. "When women have financial independence, they have more options. And having more options is often what prevents people from feeling trapped in the first place."
Criminologist Madhava Soma Sundaram says that women commit fewer crimes, but when they do, it can be of a serious nature and often with a male accomplice
Criminologist Madhava Soma Sundaram says that, traditionally, criminology has identified three broad motives behind many serious crimes: "money, revenge or sex."
"One of the earliest theories in criminology was that women generally commit fewer crimes, but when they do, they can be extremely serious in nature. Often, there is a male accomplice involved," he says. For Sundaram, the central question in cases such as the Lohagad murder investigation is not what happened after the engagement, but before it. "Why did she agree to the marriage in the first place? Was there family pressure? Was her opinion ignored? That is the million-dollar question."
He argues that most young women today have greater opportunities to express their choices. "They can stop a marriage. They can tell their parents. They can communicate. But in many recent cases, that communication is not happening." On male accomplices, Sundaram says emotional and sexual relationships often play a significant role. "A strong romantic or sexual bond can become a powerful motivator."
At the same time, he believes many such crimes reflect immaturity. "People think they can outsmart the system. They leave evidence everywhere and underestimate how investigations work. In the end, they destroy not only another person's life, but their own as well."
Advocate Persis Sidhva of RATI Foundation states that it would be reckless to draw conclusions in cases which are still under investigation
Advocate Persis Sidhva, director of RATI Foundation, argues that conversations around relationship violence often focus too narrowly on physical harm while overlooking emotional and psychological abuse. As was seen in the cases of Utkarsh Shivhare and Atul Subhash.
"The law is actually very clear on this," she says, "The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act recognises not just physical abuse but also verbal, emotional, mental, economic and sexual abuse. Unfortunately, society, police systems and the courts do not always view these forms of violence with the same seriousness." Sidhva cautions against drawing conclusions in cases that are still under investigation.
Referring to the Pune case, she says it would be premature to assume guilt before the judicial process is complete. She also believes public discourse tends to disproportionately focus on crimes allegedly committed by women. "Every day, women are dying in their homes. Cases involving domestic violence, dowry-related abuse and violence by husbands and natal families continue to be reported in large numbers. Yet when a woman is accused of a serious crime, it receives enormous media attention because it is seen as unusual."
Lohagad Fort near Pune where Ketan was allegedly murdered. PIC/FACEBOOK@INDIA Travel Tourism
Sidhva makes a similar point about public outrage over bail orders. "People have reacted strongly to Sonam Raghuvanshi getting bail. But many persons accused of murder and rape are also granted bail every day without attracting the same scrutiny. Bail is a legal safeguard designed to protect individual liberty while ensuring the administration of justice. It is not a determination of guilt or innocence."
