‘Cheerful’ Phone Call To Mother, Rs 65,000 Transfer: Air India Pilot’s Kin Say ‘Murder, Not Suicide’ – News18

Last Updated:November 28, 2024, 20:14 IST

While the police are saying 25-year-old Srishti Tuli died by suicide, her family has alleged that she was murdered by her boyfriend, Aditya Pandit, who was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide

The 25-year-old Air India pilot, who was found dead at her Mumbai flat on November 25, reportedly spoke “cheerfully” to her mother and aunt 15 minutes before her family received the news of her death.

While the police are saying she died by suicide, Srishti Tuli’s family has alleged that she was murdered by her boyfriend, Aditya Pandit, who was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide.

Her uncle, Vivek Tuli, lodged the complaint on the basis of which Mumbai Police filed an FIR. He said the family, which is based out of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, is not ready to accept that she died by suicide.

“Police are saying she died by suicide. Then what did he do that pushed her to the edge? She cheerfully spoke to her mother and aunt. And 15 minutes later, she was dead. How did this happen? What did he tell her? What did he do? Police are probing this,” he told NDTV.

Vivek Tuli said the family suspects another woman pilot’s involvement, and even accused Pandit of extortion, harassment and manipulation. He said while Srishti had not expressly spoken about this harassment, she had narrated tidbits of her relationship to her sister.

“They are saying she died by suicide, but I don’t believe it. This is planned murder. She was strong, otherwise she would not be a pilot. We have come to know about her friend (Aditya), who started training with her but could not complete the course. He was jealous of her and would harass her,” he was quoted in the NDTV report.

According to the police, Srishti and Pandit met while pursuing a commercial pilot course in Delhi two years ago and got into a relationship. She had been living in Mumbai for work since June last year after she got her pilot’s licence, while Pandit stayed back in Faridabad near Delhi after dropping out of the course. He would visit her frequently in Mumbai.

‘SRISHTI TRANSFERRED RS 65,000 TO ADITYA’S FAMILY’

Srishti’s family alleged that Pandit was extorting money from her because she transferred Rs 65,000 to his family members around Diwali. Vivek said he could be blackmailing her for money and she became a victim when she refused to give him more.

“We have managed to check only one month’s bank statement so far. Around Diwali, about Rs 65,000 was transferred to his family members. I am convinced that he was blackmailing her. I have now asked the bank for the whole year’s statement. Maybe, she had refused him money and that became the cause of her death,” he was quoted in the news report.

He further said they only found out about the harassment from her friends, who said Pandit would mentally harass her by shouting at her in public places and even pressured her to stop eating non-vegetarian food. The two even had a fight after she could not attend her sister’s engagement ceremony.

“He would scream at her publicly. There were times when he made her get out of the car in the middle of the road and drove away,” he was quoted.

‘ANOTHER WOMAN WAS THERE’

Vivek also raised suspicion over the presence of another woman pilot, who reportedly helped Pandit call a key maker and open Srishti’s flat. He even questioned the motive behind calling in a key maker to open the door to someone else’s flat from outside and, that too, without informing the police.

“We came to know that another woman was there. She called in the key maker, got him to open the door and took Srishti to the hospital. Who opens the door and enters someone’s flat without calling the cops? And these are trained pilots. And why would a key maker randomly open a door from outside?” he was quoted.

Pandit has told the police that he had already started his journey to Delhi by car during which Srishti called him and threatened to end her life. He said he panicked and rushed back to Mumbai, and found the door of her flat locked from inside.

Police said he then got the door opened with the help of a key maker and found her hanging with a data cable. She was taken to the Seven Hills Hospital, where doctors declared her dead. No suicide note was found in the house, they said.

Pandit was arrested under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was produced in a court which remanded him in police custody for four days.

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