Daijiworld Media Network - Pune

Pune, Sep 5: Pune Rural Police have arrested a third accused in the murder of businessman Ketan Agrawal, who was allegedly killed by his fiancée and her lover at Lohagad Fort in June.

The arrested accused has been identified as Ritesh Hinge, a classmate of prime accused Chetan Choudhary. Police suspect that Hinge had prior knowledge of the alleged murder conspiracy.

Hinge was remanded in police custody until September 12 and is expected to be named as a co-accused in the case.

According to police sources, Choudhary and his girlfriend Siya Goyal allegedly discussed the plan to kill Agrawal and its execution with Hinge before the incident at Lohagad Fort on June 18.

The couple had also repeatedly asked Hinge to accompany them to Lohagad on the day of the alleged murder, but he declined, sources said.

Police suspect Hinge was aware of the alleged conspiracy before Agrawal's death. Investigators also found that Choudhary met Hinge shortly after Agrawal died, while Goyal remained in contact with him.

Hinge was traced using information recovered from Choudhary's phone, according to police sources.

Originally from Beed district, Hinge works for a private company in Pune's Balewadi area. He had allegedly been in contact with Choudhary since the last week of May.

Police are questioning Hinge to establish the extent of his knowledge and determine whether he played any role in planning or facilitating the alleged crime.

Agrawal, a Pune-based businessman, died after falling into a gorge at Lohagad Fort on June 18 while trekking with his fiancée Goyal.

The death was initially treated as an accident, with Goyal claiming that Agrawal had slipped while they were taking photographs near the edge of the fort.

The investigation took a different turn after Agrawal's sister questioned Goyal about the incident and allegedly found inconsistencies in her account.

The family subsequently approached the police, prompting investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding Agrawal's death more closely. Police later arrested Goyal and Choudhary on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

CCTV footage from near the fort's ticket counter showed Choudhary, wearing a hoodie, allegedly following Agrawal and Goyal on the day of the incident.

Investigators also found that Choudhary had allegedly left his phone at his workplace and carried an employee's device instead. Police suspect this was an attempt to conceal his movements.

The CCTV footage became a crucial lead in transforming the accidental-death inquiry into a murder investigation.

Police allege that Goyal and Choudhary conspired to push Agrawal into the gorge and portray his death as an accident.

Investigators also suspect that the alleged murder followed an unsuccessful attempt on June 14, when the accused allegedly tried to frighten Agrawal towards the edge of the gorge by staging a snake scare.

The case is based largely on circumstantial evidence, including CCTV footage, phone records, location data and alleged inconsistencies in the accounts given following Agrawal's death.