IIT Bombay student accused of using ChatGPT during exam dies by suicide, 3rd case in 7 months

PTI, Mumbai, Sep 19, 2026 : According to a statement from IIT Bombay, Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a native of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers during the exam. Image credit/X

A 22-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay committed suicide in his hostel room after he was allegedly caught using his mobile phone during an examination, police said on Saturday.

According to a statement from IIT Bombay, Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a native of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers during the exam.

The death is the third reported case of suicide at the IIT Bombay campus in Powai in seven months.

In February, a second-year student died by suicide in a hostel. In July 2026, at the beginning of the new semester, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student also died by suicide.

Wakode was a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department, police said.

He was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room in Hostel Number 4 on the Powai campus on Friday, an official said.

He said that the death came to light after his hostel mates noticed no response from his room and alerted the authorities, who then informed the police.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot, the official said, adding that the Powai police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and sent the body for a post-mortem examination.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the extreme step, he said.