A striking development has surfaced on Monday into the probe of the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, as the Mumbai Crime branch recorded the statement of a friend who was reportedly the last person to talk to him over the phone.

As per police, Wakode discussed his Thermodynamics exam during the call and appeared anxious about his performance. The friend reportedly told the crime branch sleuths that the 22-year-old student said that the paper had not gone well and that he had been caught cheating during the exam.

The allegation is part of the ongoing investigation and has not been independently established. The cops are examining the circumstances surrounding the examination and the events that followed as they seek to reconstruct the final hours before Wakode died by suicide.

Crime branch interrogates students, staff,examines digital evidence

Lately, the city’s crime branch has been recording statements from students and staff members as part of the probe. Police said that earlier, statements of 20 people had been recorded, including the students who were present in the examination hall, the teachers supervising the exam and the hostel staff.

The crime branch officials are also examining Wakode’s cell phone records and conversations with friends. His cell phone was secured by a pattern lock, and efforts are being made to access the device, as well as retrieve potentially relevant digital evidence. Besides this, the police are also scrutinising CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus and hostel to establish a detailed sequence of events.

The latest account provided by Wakode’s friend has added another layer of what he allegedly said immediately after the examination. The cops are comparing it with other witness statements and available electronic evidence.

What happened on Sept 18?

Wakode, a youth enrolled at IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, left the examination hall on September 18 and went towards his hostel room, as per the preliminary probe.

The incident which unfolded during the examination remains central to the probe, after the institute initially said that Wakode had been caught using ChatGPT on his cell phone in the middle of the paper. CCTV footage examined by the police also showed Wakode using a cell phone during the exam before he was escorted out of the hall by the invigilators.

Wakode was later found dead in his hostel room after attempts to contact him went unanswered. Police are delving into the sequence of events between his departure from the examination hall and his death.

Caste discrimination angle under police scanner

Wakode’s parents, soon after his death, levelled allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment by the faculty members of IIT Bombay. They also called for action against the ones they hold responsible for driving Wakode to take the extreme step.

Following their complaint, an FIR was registered, which named Professor Sooryanarayanan Doolla in connection with allegations of abetment to suicide and caste discrimination. Doolla has been sent on leave amid the probe.

However, IIT Bombay has denied the caste-discrimination allegations, and the institute has also apologised over its earlier communication concerning the circumstances of Wakode’s death.

All the aforementioned allegations concerning caste-discrimination, the examination incident and the events preceding Wakode’s death are being examined, police said. However, the cops have still not been able to ascertain whether the examination incident, alleged discrimination or any other factor was linked to his death.