Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch probing the abetment to suicide of IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode has recorded the statement of a friend, who told investigators that she was the last person to speak to him on the phone.According to police, Wakode told her during the call that his thermodynamics theory paper had gone poorly and that he was worried as he had wanted to score well. He also told her that he had been caught cheating during the exam, they said.The friend, who is among at least six students whose statements have been recorded so far, told police that Wakode appeared stressed during their conversation. However, investigators have so far not found any clear indication of stress or distress in the material examined during the probe.Wakode (22), a second-year BTech student, was found dead in his hostel room hours after the exam on Sept 18.Investigators are reconstructing his movements after he left the exam hall. CCTV footage has established that Wakode left the hall after he was asked to do so and returned later.The CCTV footage has been sent for forensic analysis. Investigators are also examining Wakode’s locked iPhone, hoping to retrieve his last calls, messages and other data. Experts have so far been unable to access the phone because of its password.Police said they are currently recording the statements of students and other witnesses and will subsequently record the statement of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who was present during the exam.Wakode’s parents made an emotional appeal to IIT-B students to continue their protest and sought preservation of any evidence relating to the death. In another video message addressed to students, Wakode’s father said on Sunday he had been unable to enter the campus despite visiting it two or three times. He reiterated that he planned to begin a hunger strike at Azad Maidan from Monday, demanding access to the institute and justice for his son.
