Locked iPhone, regret over cheating and parents protest: New angles surface in the IIT Bombay Suicide case

cInvestigating agencies are checking CCTV cameras along the route from the examination hall to the hostel to see where he went and what took place.

The Suicide case of Sahil Wakode, a second year B.Tech student from the Indian Institute of Tech nology (IIT) Bombay has further deepened while probe continues, new angles have surfaced in the case allegeing caste-based harrasment by professor on invigilation duty Suryanarayana Doolla.

Locked iPhone adds hurdle in investigations

According to the the police probing the case, they have recorded statements form 20 people, but adding to the hurdle is an unlocked iPhone. The 20-year-old decesed student’s iPhone 17 has a pattern lock that even people close to him did not know.

As a result, the Mumbai Crime Branch cannot yet get any data from it.Officers hope the phone will show what Sahil searched for during the exam that day and what happened after he left the hall.
Sahil had been accused of using his mobile during the test. CCTV footage shows Professor Suryanarayan Dulla telling him to leave.

He walked out at about 12:38 pm and reached his hostel room around 1:25 pm. That leaves a gap of roughly 47 minutes that investigators are trying to fill.

They are checking CCTV cameras along the route from the examination hall to the hostel to see where he went and what took place.

The phone’s data is encrypted, and the police’s usual forensic tools work better on older iPhones. Newer models are harder to unlock without the pattern. The Crime Branch is now looking at asking other agencies that have more advanced equipment for help.

Sahil’s laptop has also been seized and sent for forensic checks.

Officers are also reviewing CCTV from the exam hall, campus and hostel.

An FIR was first registered at Powai police station before the case moved to the Crime Branch.

Sahil regreted cheating in exam

The deceased student, reportedly regretted cheating in exam. He told his female friend, that he had commited a mistake.

According to the Hindustan times, Sahil spoke to his female friend at around 02:30 pm and told her that he had made a mistake, his thermodynamics paper had not gone well and now this (cheating incident) has happened, reported HT citing a officer familiar to the matter.
 

Police records statements of 20 people

So far the crime branch has recorded statements from more than 20 individuals. These include students, institute staff, those who were in the examination hall, teachers supervising the test, and hostel staff.

The statement of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla has not yet been recorded.

On the locked phone, investigators can see notifications of several missed calls but cannot tell who called or whom Sahil tried to reach.

On Thursday the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Kishor Makwana, visited IIT Bombay for a spot inquiry.

Sahil belonged to the Scheduled Caste community. His family has alleged caste-based discrimination and harassment in the period before his death.

The institute has issued a formal apology for comments it made earlier about the circumstances of the case.Police are still putting the events of 18 September together using call records, the laptop, CCTV footage and the statements they have collected.

Parents stage protest demanding justice

The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode held a sit-in protest at Azad Maidan on Thursday.

They called for the immediate arrest of a faculty member and asked officials to speed up the inquiry into their son’s death.

Ravindra Wakode and his wife Sonali joined the demonstration seeking justice. They insisted the police take firm and prompt action against the professor involved.

Speaking to reporters, Ravindra Wakode named the faculty member and pressed for accountability.

“We demand the arrest of prof Doolla. We are not questioning the investigation,” he said.He also spoke about his son’s strong academic record and other achievements.

“You can ask anyone. They will tell you how good a human Sahil was. He was leading a team of 50 students on AI and robotics. Do you think such a meritorious student can do this? The investigation should be fast-tracked,” the father added.

Although they made clear that they were not challenging the police investigation itself.

(with agencies input)
 

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