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A 38-year-old engineer working at Ola Electrics has died by suicide. Before committing suicide, engineer K Arvind left behind a 28-page handwritten note in which he accused his seniors, including Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, of mental harassment and financial exploitation. However, Ola said in a statement that K Arvind had never made any complaint regarding harassment in his job or at Ola.

According to police officials, K Arvind was working as a homologation engineer in Ola since 2022. He consumed poison on September 28 at his residence in Chikkalasandra, Bengaluru. After that his friends found him in distress and immediately took him to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. However, he died on the same day.

Officials said that the police have registered an unnatural death report (UDR).

Soon after K Arvind’s death, his brother received a 28-page note addressed to him, in which the Ola engineer had accused Subrata Kumar Das and Bhavish Aggarwal of harassment and pressure at the workplace. The note said that Arvind was mentally tortured and his salary and allowances were denied, which eventually led to his suicide.

According to Arvind’s brother, a suspicious bank transfer of Rs 17,46,313 was made to his account through NEFT two days after his death. When the brother contacted Ola for clarification about the transaction, Subrata Das allegedly did not provide any clarity, he said. Later, three representatives of the company – Kritesh Desai, Parmesh and Roshan – visited Arvind’s residence but did not provide any coherent information regarding transferring the money, raising suspicion among his family members about the company’s intentions, officials said.

Based on the complaint of Arvind’s brother, the police registered a case against Bhavish Aggarwal, Das and others on 6 October.

The FIR alleges that continuous harassment, humiliation and financial exploitation by his seniors were directly responsible for Arvind’s death. His family urged the police to initiate legal proceedings against the accused officers, including Subrata Das and Bhavish Aggarwal, to hold them responsible for abetting the suicide.

What has Ola said?

Ola issued a statement today expressing condolences on the death of its employee. Ola has said, “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague Arvind and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. Arvind was associated with Ola Electric for more than three and a half years and was based at our headquarters in Bengaluru. During his tenure, Arvind never made any complaint in relation to his employment or any harassment. In his role as Promoter, he worked closely with the company’s top executives. There was no direct contact with management involved.”

The company also said that it has challenged the FIR lodged against its founder and others in the Karnataka High Court. A company spokesperson said, “Protective orders have been passed in favor of Ola Electric and its officials. To provide immediate relief to the family, the company has immediately facilitated a full and final settlement in their bank account. Ola Electric is fully cooperating with the authorities in the ongoing investigation and is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful and supportive workplace for all employees.”