Aravind, a 38-year-old Ola Electric engineer, died by suicide in Bengaluru on September 28, 2025 and made headlines everywhere. He left a 28-page note accusing his seniors of mental harassment and financial exploitation (meaning unpaid dues by Ola). His family later came across shocking details about his death, which led them to file a complaint against Bhavish Aggarwal, founder of Ola. So, what’s happening now? Did Ola or Bhavish Aggarwal respond to the allegations? Is this an “abetment to suicide” (instigating another to take their life)? For all that, learn more?
How It Happened?
Aravind died of suicide (consuming poison) on September 28 at his home in Chikkalasandra, Bengaluru. Although he was rushed to Maharaja Agrasena Hospital by his friends, he didn’t survive. Police recorded this as an Unnatural Death, and things were quiet for days after that.
The Suicide Note
Aravind’s brother found a 28-page handwritten note by Aravind. The letter was addressed to his brother only. In which Aravind made serious allegations against his seniors at Ola.
The note says:
- Aravind seemed to be upset about Bhavish Aggarwal and Subrat Kumar Das (a senior official) for mentally harassing him and financially exploiting him.
- He accused them of mental torture, humiliation and denial to disburse his salary and allowances.
- He concluded that all of these reasons led him to take his life. And Aravind’s brother was left speechless.
Suspicious Bank Transfer
All eyes are on Ola now that it’s revealed that just two days after Aravind’s death, a hefty amount of INR ₹17,46,313 was made to Aravind’s account through NEFT.
So, Aravind’s brother had a lot of questions about the transfer, to which Ola responded:
- Subrat Kumar Das, a senior official at Ola, gave unclear answers.
- Three Ola employees named Kratesh Desai, Paramesh, and Roshan paid a visit to Aravind’s home, and they didn’t clarify anything either.
- All of this made the family suspicious about the company’s actions.
Police Case Against Ola
Aravind’s brother filed a complaint against the company on October 6, 2025.
Names in the FIR include:
- Bhavish Aggarwal, founder of Ola
- Subrat Kumar Das
- And a few other officials.
FIR was filed accusing them of:
- Constant workplace harassment
- Humiliation and financial pressure
- Abetment to suicide, meaning instigating Aravind to commit suicide
Aravind’s family has requested that the police take necessary legal action against the accused Ola officials soon.
What Ola Said About Aravind’s Death
Ola Electric published an official statement on the same, expressing condolences for Aravind’s death.
According to Ola’s statement:
- Aravind worked for Ola for over 3.5 years at the Bengaluru headquarters.
- He never raised any complaint or grievance about harassment against anyone in the company.
- The statement clarified that his role never directly involved interaction with Bhavish Aggarwal or other top executives.
- The payment of INR 17,46,313 was made as a full and final settlement of his employment to support his family.
- Ola affirmed that it challenged the FIR in the Karnataka High Court, and protective orders are all in favour of the company.
Update on the Ola vs Aravind Case
Ola will not list this matter under SEBI’s Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements (LODR) Regulations, 2015, because it’s not a “material event.”
However, it will update stock exchanges if necessary.
A Similar Past Incident
This is not the first; in May 2025, another suicide was reported involving Nikhil Somwanshi. He was a machine learning engineer working at Krutrim (Ola’s AI division) and was led by Bhavish Aggarwal himself.
Ola on this incident clarified that Nikhil Somwanshi was on a personal leave when he committed suicide.
Shubham Kumar
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