IIT-Bombay student death: ACP-rank officer tasked with Crime Branch probe

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An ACP-rank officer of the Mumbai Crime Branch has been entrusted with the investigation into the death of second-year Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, with the probe being supervised by DCP Detection-I, Mumbai Police said on Wednesday (September 23, 2026).

The case, initially registered at Powai Police Station as C.R. No. 999/2026, has been transferred to the Crime Branch and registered as DCB CID C.R. No. 124/2026, according to a press advisory issued by DCP Detection Raj Tilak Roshan.

Police said investigators were examining all possible angles in the case and that the probe was being conducted “diligently and impartially”.

The Crime Branch has already begun examining the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death, including his movements and events preceding the incident.

Mumbai Police also appealed to the public to refrain from speculation, spreading misinformation or drawing premature conclusions, and asked the media to rely on information released through official channels.

Police said they remained committed to a fair and thorough investigation.

Sahil Wakode, a second-year Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday (September 18, 2026). The next day, the Powai police registered a first information report (FIR) under charges including abetment of suicide and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The FIR, filed on the basis of a complaint by the student’s father, Ravindra Wakode, named faculty member Suryanarayana Doolla. Subsequently, the investigation was handed over to the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).

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