Mumbai: An Andheri court on Friday extended the police custody of Delhi resident Aditya Pandit (27) till Monday.
Pandit was arrested by the Powai police for allegedly abetting the suicide of Air India pilot Srishti Tuli (25), who was found dead near the police quarters in Malur, Mumbai on November 25. In a rental house.
Police sought extension of Pandit’s custody to gather more evidence and retrieve deleted WhatsApp chats between him and Srishti from his phone. Investigators believe the chats may provide important insights into the events leading up to her death.
According to Powai police, Tuli made a video call to Pandit shortly before committing suicide.
Authorities said she died after an argument with Pandit.
The police detention that began four days ago was extended after he allegedly failed to report Tully’s threats and decided to enter her locked house without involving law enforcement.
“Pandit was arrested over his failure to alert police to Tuli’s threats and his decision to enter her locked residence without police intervention.
His status as the last person to have contact with the deceased raised suspicions about his possible involvement,” police said.
Tuli had reportedly threatened to harm himself before Pandit left for Delhi. When he ignored her warnings, she allegedly made her intentions clear during a video call.
“Pandit was arrested after it was revealed that he had concealed information by deleting communications with Tuli. When asked about the deleted messages, he stated that he would threaten to harm himself if she died. Police explanation for him Suspicion was expressed and forensic experts were being worked on to restore the original condition.
Investigators also found 10-11 calls and numerous missed calls from Tully on Pandit’s phone during the period when he claimed he was returning to stop her.
Officials confirmed: “Pandit’s phone has been confiscated and sent to FSL for recovery of deleted data.”
Tuli, who lived near the Mallore police camp in Andheri (East), was found unconscious at his home and was later declared dead at the Seven Hills Hospital in Mallore.
Preliminary investigation revealed that she was suffering from mental distress due to harassment due to Pandit’s failure to pass the pilot qualification test.
“After Tuli returned from work on Sunday, he got into an argument with Pandit, who then left for Delhi around 1 am. Later, Tuli contacted him and expressed his intentions. According to reports, Pandit returned to Mumbai, found the door locked and hired a locksmith instead of calling him.
