BENGALURU: A 38-year-old homologation engineer at Ola Electric Company, Koramangala, died by suicide by consuming poison, leaving a 28-page handwritten death note, accusing Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal and other senior staff of mental harassment and financial exploitation. Ola, in a statement, said the engineer had never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or harassment, and challenged the FIR against its CEO and others before the Karnataka High Court.
The deceased, K Aravind, was a resident of Manjunathanagar in Chikkalasandra. He reportedly died by suicide on September 28, and the jurisdictional Subramanyapura police registered a case of abetment to suicide (BNS 108) against Bhavish Agarwal, Subrath Kumar Dash, Head of Vehicle Homologations and Regulations, and others on October 6, based on the complaint by 41-year-old Ashwin Kannan, Aravind’s brother.
Ashwin, a businessman, told the TNIE that they got suspicious after Rs 17.46 lakh was transferred to his brother’s account after the latter’s death and three people claiming to be from Ola came to their house and gave some vague explanations. “When we checked, we found the 28-page detailed handwritten death note by my brother in his room. The matter was immediately brought to the notice of the police, after which a case of abetment to suicide was filed,” he added.
Since the complainant did not initially know the exact reason for his brother’s death, he filed a complaint suspecting foul play. The Subramanyapura police had registered a case of Unnatural Death Report under Section 194(3)(iv) of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Aravind studied engineering at a city-based college and was a mechanical engineer. He was unmarried and was staying with his parents. “My brother was working as a Homologation Engineer at Ola Electric Company, Koramangala, since 2022,” Ashwin said.
No arrests have been made yet: Cop
“On September 28, 2025, around 10.45 am, he allegedly drank poison at the residence in Chikkalasandra where he was staying with my parents. He started vomiting and that was when it was known that he had consumed poison. He was rushed to a private hospital, and was treated immediately. But he died between 12.30 pm and 12.45 pm the same day.
Two days after my brother’s death, on September 30, 2025, Rs 17,46,313 was found to have been transferred via NEFT by the company into my brother’s bank account. That was when we started getting suspicious about his death.
On October 1, 2025, when Subrata Kumar Dash was questioned about the suspicious payment, the company’s HR initially responded. Later, company representatives Krutesh Desai, Paramesh and Roshan visited our residence and gave vague explanations about the financial transaction, which appeared to be an attempt to cover up the company’s wrongdoing, raising further suspicion,” Ashwin said.
“The death note, found in my brother’s room, revealed that Subrata Kumar Dash and Bhavish Aggarwal had allegedly been harassing my brother, putting him under work pressure and withholding his salary and other dues, which caused him mental distress. In the note, my brother stated that he was consuming poison and ending his life due to the harassment by these individuals and sought justice for his death through legal action against them,” Ashwin added.
A police officer said, “We have issued notices to the accused for inquiry. No arrests have been made yet. The engineer died by consuming poison. The FIR was registered based on the handwritten death note left by the victim.”
Ola statement
In a statement, Ola said Aravind had been associated with Ola Electric for over three and a half years and was based at its headquarters in Bengaluru.
“During his tenure, Aravind never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or any harassment. His role also did not involve any direct interaction with the company’s top management, including the promoter. We have challenged the registration of the FIR before the Hon’ble Karnataka High Court and protective orders have been passed in favour of Ola Electric and its officials,” the company stated.
“To provide immediate support to the family, the company promptly facilitated the full and final settlement to his bank account. Ola Electric is fully cooperating with the authorities in their ongoing investigation and remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and supportive workplace for all employees,” the statement added.
