Pune: IT Employee Dies By Suicide; Father Alleges Harassment Over Fake Drug Case

Pune: A 22-year-old IT professional working at a reputed company in Pune's Magarpatta area allegedly died by suicide after jumping from a building in Kharadi on Oct 1. His father has accused a man of repeatedly threatening his son with false allegations of drug trafficking and mentally harassing him. Based on the complaint, police have registered a case against Ajaykumar Bhatia and an unidentified person.

The deceased, identified as Shikhar Kumargaurav Saxena, was staying at a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Kharadi. According to the complaint, he jumped from a building at Riverdale Suite Society in Kharadi on the morning of Oct 1. He was rushed to Sassoon General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

In his complaint, Shikhar's father, Kumargaurav Saxena, told police that on Sept 30, a person had called his wife and enquired about Shikhar. When he contacted the number, the caller identified himself as Ajaykumar Bhatia and allegedly claimed to be a sub-inspector posted in Sector 29 of Gurugram, Haryana. The caller accused Shikhar of selling drugs to women in Pune and threatened to arrest him in connection with the alleged offence.

The complaint states that Shikhar's mobile phone subsequently became unreachable, prompting his family to search for him. However, they could not trace him. Later, his maternal uncle visited the PG accommodation in Kharadi and learnt that Shikhar had left the premises at around 5.30 pm on Sept 30.

After Shikhar's death, his family examined his laptop and allegedly found records indicating WhatsApp activity on Sept 29, money transfers to different accounts and screenshots sent to Bhatia. The laptop also reportedly contained some suspicious chats. His father suspects that his son was threatened and mentally harassed, allegedly driving him to die by suicide.

The complaint further mentions that on Oct 13, the family received a call from another mobile number. The caller claimed to be from a courier office and enquired why Shikhar was returning a courier. The caller disconnected after the conversation. His father suspects that the number may have been used to gather information about his son.

Police have registered a case under Sections 108, 3(5), 308(6) and 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Bhatia and an unidentified person. Further investigation is underway to establish the circumstances surrounding Shikhar's death and verify the allegations made by his father.