Pilot Video-Called Boyfriend Before Suicide, Police Recover Deleted Chats

Air India pilot Srishti Tuli allegedly video-called her boyfriend, Aditya Pandit, moments before her death by suicide on November 25, according to sources from the Mumbai Police. The couple had reportedly argued before Aditya left for Delhi, and Srishti had asked him to stay longer. When he refused, she allegedly threatened to take her own life. During the call, Srishti reportedly showed him that she intended to hang herself.

Aditya Pandit Deleted Chats

Aditya Pandit has reportedly deleted several chats with Srishti, and the police are currently trying to recover these messages. The police have sent Aditya’s phone to forensic experts for analysis. Aditya, who is in police custody on charges of abetment of suicide, claimed he warned Srishti that he, too, would die by suicide if she went through with her threat. Authorities found multiple phone calls between the two in the hours leading up to Srishti’s death, though many calls were missed on her phone.

Aditya claimed that after receiving no response from Srishti, he repeatedly dialed her number and rushed back to her home. He and another woman pilot reportedly called a locksmith to open the door when they found it locked. The second pilot is now being questioned by the police.

‘Harassed, Abused, Manipulated’?

Srishti, 25, was found dead in her rented home in Mumbai’s Marol area, allegedly having hanged herself with a data cable. However, no suicide note was found. Srishti had spoken to her mother and aunt just 15 minutes before her death, and the family has raised doubts about the circumstances surrounding her passing. They claim Srishti was murdered and accuse Aditya Pandit of harassment, manipulation, and abuse.

Srishti’s family also alleges that Aditya controlled her life, forbidding her from eating non-vegetarian food and taking money from her. Her uncle, Vivek Tuli, told NDTV, “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.”

Srishti’s family recounted multiple incidents of abuse and mistreatment by Aditya. One notable incident took place last November when Aditya allegedly verbally abused Srishti and rammed a vehicle while driving her and her cousin, Rashi, in her uncle’s car. In March this year, at a dinner in Gurugram, Aditya humiliated Srishti when she and others suggested having non-vegetarian food. He reportedly left her on the road and went home alone.

A bank statement revealed that around Diwali, Srishti transferred Rs. 65,000 to Aditya’s family. Srishti’s family believes that Aditya was also jealous of her success in becoming a commercial pilot while he struggled with his own training.

The couple met two years ago when Srishti was training in Delhi, and their relationship had been marked by tensions and alleged mistreatment by Aditya.