IIT-Bombay Student Death: Mumbai crime branch records 25 statements, sends phone for forensics

At 12:40 PM on September 18, a student was caught copying during an exam. Later that evening, the student was found dead in the hostel. Earlier, the student spoke with friends and told a female friend that the paper had not gone well.

Updated : Sep 25, 2026, 10:49 AM IST

The Mumbai Police's crime branch has intensified its probe into the death of an IIT-Bombay student who was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 after allegedly being caught copying during a mid-semester exam.

Police have so far recorded statements of more than 25 people, including IIT-Bombay students and hostel staff, a crime branch officer said. Some of those questioned were friends who received calls from the student after the examination incident.

"He was caught copying around 12.40 pm on September 18 and was found dead in his hostel room later that evening. He spent the intervening period in the hostel and spoke to some of his friends. We have spoken to those people," the officer said.

According to the officer, the student spoke to a female friend around 2.30 pm and expressed regret over his performance. "He told her that he had made a mistake and his thermodynamics paper had not gone well, and now this copying episode has happened," the officer said.

Police have sent the student's iPhone to the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory for examination and are trying to access its contents. They may seek Apple assistance if the lab is unable to unlock the device. Information related to the WhatsApp account has also been sought.

Investigators said digital evidence would help examine circumstances around the examination incident as well as allegations of caste-based harassment made by the family.

CCTV footage from the institute has also been sent to Kalina FSL for analysis and certification under the Information Technology Act for court evidence.

The crime branch has not yet recorded the statement of IIT-Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named as accused in the FIR registered by Powai police on the complaint of the student's father.

The father alleged his son had told him that over the previous three months, Doolla had been acting at the behest of institute director Shirish Kedare and abusing him over his caste, and that he feared being implicated in a false case