Bengaluru: Following the death of an employee who allegedly took his own life, the Bengaluru police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola founder and CEO and Subrath Kumar Das, senior company executive.
The deceased, 38-year-old K. Aravind, reportedly left behind a 28-page suicide note accusing his superiors of workplace harassment. Police said the case was filed based on a complaint lodged by Aravind’s brother, Ashwin Kannan.
According to officials, the First Information Report (FIR) names Aggarwal, Das, who heads Vehicle Homologations and Regulation at Ola, and others under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complaint also refers to alleged financial irregularities amounting to about ₹17.46 lakh discovered after Aravind’s death.
The incident occurred on September 28, when Aravind allegedly consumed poison at his home. He was rushed to a private hospital but died during treatment. His family later recovered the note detailing alleged sustained harassment by senior executives and misconduct within the company.
The family further claimed that Ola’s Human Resources department failed to clarify certain money transfers made to Aravind’s account, deepening their suspicion of foul play.
A senior investigating officer said that notices had been issued to all individuals named in the FIR. “They have submitted written explanations, and further investigation is in progress,” the officer said. Ola has not yet issued an official statement on the matter.
Meanwhile, last month, shares of Ola Electric Mobility fell by nearly 8 per cent after Japanese investment major SoftBank reduced its stake in the company through open market transactions.
Regulatory filings on September 5 revealed that SoftBank’s investment arm, SVF II Ostrich (DE) LLC, sold around 94.9 million shares of Ola Electric between July 15 and September 2, representing more than 2 per cent of the company’s equity, triggering mandatory disclosure under SEBI regulations.