For 19 days, Bilal Teli lived undetected at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. He attended lectures on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, slept in vacant hostel rooms and lounges, and blended in as if he belonged. He didn’t. Teli, 22, held no admission at the prestigious institute.
According to Hindustan Times, it wasn’t until June 17 that campus security apprehended him after Shilpa Kotikal from the Credit Department spotted him inside lecture hall LH-101. Her earlier suspicion — from June 4, when he entered her office without authorisation and fled upon being questioned — had already triggered alerts. CCTV footage had been shared with security, but he slipped away. That changed when she saw him again.
Teli, who hails from Mangaluru and holds a diploma in Information Technology (IT) after Class X, claimed he had only come for a one-day study programme. But after arriving on May 27, police say he stayed on, even leaving for Surat on June 7 before returning on June 10 to continue attending lectures.
Now in the custody of the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), Teli remains evasive. Hindustan Times reports that police are struggling to determine his intent, given that he used 21 different email IDs and communicated using digital calling apps. Investigators believe these digital footprints may hold the key to understanding whether he was acting on someone’s instructions.
Police are currently extracting data from his laptop and phone to piece together more information. “We are trying to find out who he was in touch with and on whose instructions he was staying on the IIT-B premises illegally… His movements appear suspicious,” said a senior officer.
Teli was officially arrested on June 24 on charges of trespassing. A First Information Report (FIR) had been filed five days earlier, on June 19. His father, a garments trader, was also summoned to Mumbai for questioning.
Though Teli maintains he simply wanted to learn more, authorities are treating the case seriously. Especially as the reason behind his prolonged and covert stay on a premier campus remains unclear.
