Deleted chats, Rs 65,000 transfer: Why Air India pilot’s boyfriend is under scanner in suicide case

The death of a 25-year-old Air India pilot, Srishti Tuli, has put her boyfriend, Aditya Pandit, under the scanner.

Srishti was found dead in her rented flat in Mumbai’s Andheri area. Following the incident, Aditya was arrested on abetment charges based on a complaint by her family.

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Now, further investigation into the case revealed that Srishti made a video call to Aditya before taking the “extreme step.” She also spoke to her mother and aunt just 15 minutes before her family learned of her death.

Video calls & deleted chats

On November 25, Srishti video-called her boyfriend shortly before taking the extreme step, The Indian Express reported, citing police sources.

Investigators suspect that following a disagreement, when Pandit left for Delhi, Srishti threatened to take her own life. Since he ignored her, she made the video call to show him how she was going to hang herself, the police sources told the media outlet.

Police believe that Pandit is hiding something, as he allegedly deleted some of his conversations with Srishti. When questioned about the deleted messages, Pandit claimed that he had told her he would also commit suicide if she went through with it. However, the police are doubtful of his statements and are working with forensic experts to retrieve the deleted messages, IE reported.

Notably, there were approximately 10-11 phone calls between the two, along with several missed calls on Srishti’s phone, according to the police. Pandit claimed that he was heading back to her house to prevent her from taking the extreme step. The authorities have seized his phone for further investigation.

Pandit claimed that when he arrived and found the house locked, he and another woman pilot called a locksmith to open the door. The second pilot is also being questioned by the police, NDTV reported.

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‘Cheerful’ call to mother

The 25-year-old pilot also spoke “cheerfully” to her mother and aunt just 15 minutes before her family received the news of her death, according to her uncle.

While the police are investigating her death as a suicide, Srishti’s family has accused her boyfriend, Pandit, of murdering her. He has been arrested on charges of abetment to suicide.

Srishti’s uncle, Vivek Tuli, filed the complaint that led the Mumbai Police to open an investigation into the case.

“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.

Rs 65,000 transfer

Srishti’s family has also alleged that Pandit was extorting money from her, claiming that a transfer of Rs 65,000 was made to his family members around Diwali.

Vivek has alleged that he could have been blackmailing her, and that her refusal to give him more money may have led to her death.

“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 told the media outlet.

‘Another woman was there…’

Vivek has also raised concerns over the involvement of another woman pilot, who allegedly helped Pandit in contacting a key maker to open Srishti’s flat. He asked the reason behind calling a key maker to access someone else’s property 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 told NDTV.

Pandit has stated that he was on his way to Delhi by car when Srishti called him and threatened to take her own life. He said that he panicked and returned to Mumbai, only to find the door to her flat locked from the inside.

According to the police, he then used a key maker to open the door and found Srishti hanging with a data cable. She was rushed to Seven Hills Hospital, where she was declared dead. The police also confirmed that no suicide note was found at the scene.

The bizarre incident over ‘non-vegetarian food’

An argument over non-vegetarian food allegedly turned into a public humiliation for Srishti during a dinner outing in Gurugram this March.

According to NDTV, Tuli and her boyfriend were dining with Rashi and her friends when she and the others suggested ordering non-vegetarian food. Pandit allegedly insulted Tuli over the suggestion.

Although the couple eventually left to eat vegetarian food, minutes later, Tuli called Rashi, saying that Pandit had left her on the road and gone home.

Following the incident, Tuli’s uncle said she confided in Rashi and told her about the complications in their relationship. She admitted feeling trapped because of her love for Aditya despite the difficulties.

Vivekkumar also recalled another instance when Pandit pressured Tuli to attend a family function even though she was scheduled to pilot a flight that day. When she refused, Pandit allegedly blocked her phone number for 10 to 12 days, leaving her distressed.

The complaint filed by Vivekkumar further alleged that Pandit frequently humiliated Tuli in public and would block her phone number over petty disagreements.

Pandit was arrested under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was presented in court, where he was remanded in police custody for four days.

With inputs from agencies