MUMBAI: The Mumbai Crime Branch probing the alleged suicide of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay student Sahil Wakode on September 18 has so far recorded the statements of 40 people, including his parents and fellow students, a police official said on Wednesday.
Besides Wakode's parents, who have been on hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, and his fellow students, the Crime Branch has recorded statements of IIT hostel staff and others.
However, the statement of professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been booked for abetment of suicide, is yet to be recorded, news agency PTI reported.
Investigators have sent two mobile phones, a laptop and a tablet belonging to Wakode to the Forensic Science Laboratory at Kalina for decoding and unlocking.
Police expect crucial evidence to emerge once the digital contents are retrieved, which could help establish the exact sequence of events leading up to the death of the second-year BTech student.
The Powai police had earlier registered an FIR against professor Doolla based on a complaint filed by Wakode's father.
In his statement to the police, Wakode's father alleged that during their last meeting, his son told him that Professor Doolla had been subjecting him to casteist abuse over the past three months at the instance of
IIT Bombay director Shirish Kedare.
He also alleged that his son had expressed fear of being implicated in a false case, PTI reported.
Police said they were yet to record Doolla's statement as they continued to scrutinise all circumstances, statements and technical evidence surrounding the incident.
Wakode, 22, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.
His parents, who have been on hunger strike for the last three days, have alleged caste discrimination against their son at the premier institute.
They have been demanding the arrest of Doolla and Kedare and justice for their son.
The IIT Bombay board had earlier constituted a 10-member committee to inquire into the circumstances surrounding Wakode's death.
(With agency inputs)
