New Delhi: Srishti Tuli, the 25-year-old Air India pilot found dead at her Andheri flat in Mumbai, had spoken to her mother and her aunt just 15 minutes before they got the shocking news of her death. The family has alleged that Srishti was murdered and accused her 27-year-old boyfriend Aditya Pandit of publicly abusing and manipulating her. They refused to believe that she died by suicide.
Vivek Tuli, Srishti’s uncle, was quoted as saying by NDTV that the cops are saying that she died by suicide, but what drove her to take the extreme step. Vivek wondered, “What did he (Aditya) do that drove her to the edge?” He pointed out that Srishti sounded very cheerful when she spoke to her mother and aunt. And then after 15 minutes, she was no more.
Vivek questioned, “How did this happen? What did he (Aditya) tell her? What did he do? Police are probing this,” Vivek has filed a complaint with Mumbai Police and an FIR has been registered. Aditya has been arrested and sent to police remand after being charged for abetment to suicide.
No suicide note found in flat
Police has said that Aditya told them during interrogation that he left for Faridabad in his car on Monday when Srishti phoned him and threatened that she would die by suicide. Aditya returned to the flat and its door locked. Aditya and another woman pilot brought a locksmith who opened the door. They found Srishti unconscious with a data cable around her neck. They rushed Srishti to a hospital where she was declared dead. Police did not find any suicide note at her rented home.
How did they meet
It was two years back that Srishti met Aditya during a commercial flying training course in Delhi. After she finished the course, Srishti moved to Mumbai in 2023 after getting her pilot’s licence. Aditya, who dropped out of the course, lived in Faridabad and would often visit her in Mumbai.
Srishti’s family, originally from Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, accused Aditya of harassing the young pilot mentally, as she shouted at her in public places and also coaxing her not to consume non-vegetarian food.
‘This is a planned murder’
Srishti’s uncle Vivek Tuli said although the cops are saying she died by suicide, he doesn’t believe it. “This is planned murder. He added Srishti was strong, or else she would not be a pilot. “We have come to know about her friend (Aditya), who started training with her but could not complete the course. He was jealous of her and would harass her,” he said.
Vivek also accused Aditya of extorting money from Srishti. He claimed that they had checked only one month’s bank statement so far. According to him, about Rs 65,000 was transferred to his family members around Diwali. The uncle said that he was convinced that Aditya was blackmailing her. “I have now asked the bank for the whole year’s statement. Maybe, she had refused him money and that became the cause of her death,” he pointed out.
Vivek said the young pilot had not told her family members about any torture she was facing. He said that Srishti had shared parts of it with her sister, but when he spoke to her friends, they revealed just how much he harassed her. He would yell at her in public, and also sometimes forced her out of the car in the middle of the road before driving off.
He also suspected that another woman pilot was involved in Srishti’s death. The family came to know that there was another woman, who called in the keymaker and was with Aditya when they took her to the hospital.
