IIT Bombay Student Suicide Case: Sahil Wakode Told Female Friend He Regretted Cheating During Exam Before Death, Say Cops

Mumbai: 22-year-old IIT-Bombay student, Sahil Wakode, spoke to several friends and expressed regret after he was caught allegedly copying during an examination on September 18, hours before he was found dead in his hostel room, according to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.

The Crime Branch, which is investigating the student's death, has so far recorded statements of more than 25 people, including IIT-Bombay students and hostel staff. Some of those questioned were friends who had spoken to Wakode after the examination incident. According to police, he was caught copying at around 12.40 pm on September 18. He then returned to his hostel and spoke to some friends before he was found dead later that evening.

Sahil Confided To Female Friend After Cheating Incident

An officer said Wakode spoke to a female friend around 2.30 pm and expressed regret over the examination, reported Hindustan Times. He reportedly told her that he had made a mistake, that his thermodynamics paper had not gone well and that the copying incident had added to his distress.

Cops have sent the student's iPhone to the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory to examine its contents. Police are also seeking information related to his WhatsApp account and may approach Apple for assistance if forensic experts are unable to access the device.

The digital evidence is expected to help investigators establish the sequence of events surrounding the examination incident and examine allegations made by the student's family of caste-based harassment.

The Crime Branch has also sent CCTV footage from the institute to the Kalina forensic laboratory for analysis. Police are seeking the necessary certificates under the Information Technology Act so that the footage can be produced as evidence if required.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch has not yet recorded the statement of IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named as an accused in the FIR registered by Powai police on a complaint filed by the student's father.

In his statement, the student's father alleged that during his last meeting with his son, the student told him that Doolla had allegedly been acting at the behest of institute director Shirish Kedare and had been abusing him over his caste for around three months. The student had also allegedly expressed fear of being implicated in a false case.

The Crime Branch is examining the statements of people who interacted with the student in his final hours, along with CCTV footage and digital evidence, as part of its investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

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