Mumbai Police analyse CCTV footage to trace IIT Bombay student's movements before death

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has begun analysing CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus grounds and hostel premises to trace the movements of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode before he died by suicide, an official said on Tuesday, September 23.

Wakode, 22, a second-year B.Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on the Powai campus on the evening of September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination, officials said.

The case was transferred to the Crime Branch on September 19 for further investigation, following widespread student protests on campus.

According to officials, CCTV footage from inside the examination hall captured Wakode's movements before a professor approached him and led him away from other students after he was allegedly caught copying. Subsequent footage showed him walking across the campus to his hostel room after exiting the examination hall; he was not seen leaving the room afterward. Investigators are now compiling and cross-referencing camera feeds from multiple locations across the institute to map his exact movements and reconstruct the sequence of events preceding his death.

The campus saw protests in the aftermath, prompting police to step up security measures. Student representatives said their agitation was not intended to defend academic misconduct but to highlight broader systemic issues and press for institutional reforms. A student delegation has since submitted a list of demands to the IIT Bombay Director, who acknowledged their concerns and assured implementation within specific timelines, officials said.