On Monday, November 25, a 25-year-old young Air India pilot allegedly died by suicide in Marol, Andheri. However, on charges of abetment of suicide of his girlfriend, the Powai police in Mumbai arrested a Delhi-based man, Aditya Pandit, on Tuesday, November 27.

The woman’s family, based in Gorakhpur, told The Indian Express that they suspect the accused killed her and was trying to portray it as a suicide. They alleged that he abused her in public and stopped her from eating non-vegetarian food. The family has urged the Mumbai police to thoroughly investigate the matter.

According to police, Tuli was found dead at her rented accommodation behind Marol Police Camp in Andheri (East) early on Monday. Initial enquiries indicate that she was mentally disturbed due to Pandit’s harassment, the police said. Pandit had been preparing for a pilot’s exam but failed to qualify they added.

Preliminary probe

A preliminary police probe revealed that when Tuli returned home after work on Sunday, she had an argument with Pandit, who had been frequenting her place of late. At around 1 am, Pandit reportedly left for Delhi. Tuli called him on his phone and allegedly revealed that she was going to take the extreme step.

According to the police, Pandit then returned to her place but found the door locked from the inside. He called a key maker, got the room opened, and found her unresponsive, officers said.

Pandit rushed her to Seven Hills Hospital in Marol, where Tuli was declared dead. Soon her family and the police were informed.

Jitendra Sonawane, Senior Inspector of Powai police station, said they arrested Pandit under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on a complaint from Tuli’s family. “He was produced in court on Tuesday and remanded to four days’ police custody,” the inspector said, as reported by The Indian Express.

“The post-mortem report indicates the cause of death to be suicide. We have sent the woman’s phone, which is locked, to a forensic lab to analyse her conversations with the accused. We will soon record statements from her family members, close friends, colleagues and roommates,” Sonawane added.