ChatGPT, murder films among tools allegedly used in Ketan Agarwal murder plot

A 5,053-page chargesheet in the Ketan Agarwal murder case alleges that the accused used a fake Instagram account, ChatGPT, murder films and podcasts while planning his death. Police also said they conducted a recce before selecting Lohagad Fort

Pune: A fake account on social media platform Instagram, along with ChatGPT and murder films, was allegedly used by Siya Goyal and her co-accused in the murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal, according to the chargesheet filed by the police in the case.

The 5,053-page chargesheet, filed on Saturday, detailed the alleged conspiracy behind the death of the 26-year-old businessman at Lohagad Fort in Pune, NDTV reported.

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Agarwal was allegedly pushed off the fort on June 18 by his fiancee Siya Goyal, who was assisted by her alleged lover Chetan Chaudhary and another accused, identified as Ritesh Hange. All three have been arrested by the police.

According to the chargesheet, the accused had initially discussed seriously injuring Agarwal and even explored the possibility of hiring someone from outside Maharashtra to carry out the attack.

Police claimed the plan was later dropped because they feared the hired assailant could expose the conspiracy or create problems for them. Investigators have mentioned that a person contacted during this stage has since become a witness, the media report said.

As per the chargesheet, the accused subsequently decided to kill Agarwal themselves and watched murder films and used ChatGPT as part of their preparations. They also listened to podcasts on how to avoid detection by police.

Goyal and her co-accused also researched last year’s Meghalaya honeymoon murder case in which Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during the couple’s honeymoon in the state’s East Khasi Hills district.

Moreover, investigators stated that a fake Instagram account named ‘Mahi’ was created using the photograph of a woman known to the accused in order to “lure” Agarwal to the fort. Messages from the account subsequently encouraged the victim to visit the spot on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan for Goyal. The use of the fake account to bring Agarwal to Lohagad has also been reported by other outlets based on the chargesheet.

According to the chargesheet, the fake account was part of a plan devised by Ritesh Hange to bring Agarwal to the fort. The account was deleted after the incident.

Further, the chargesheet revealed that the accused conducted a recce of locations around Lonavala before selecting Lohagad Fort.

According to investigators, Goyal and Chaudhary visited Tiger Point and other locations in search of an isolated spot.

Police said Lohagad was eventually selected because of a death at the fort in March last year. The accused allegedly thought they could make Agarwal’s death appear like an accidental fall at the spot. Reports based on the chargesheet have also cited the alleged study of an earlier death at Lohagad.