Ola CEO booked for abetment after employee’s suicide in Bengaluru

New Delhi, Oct 20: Bengaluru police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against Ola founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal and senior executive Subrath Kumar Das, following the alleged suicide of an employee.

The deceased, 38-year-old K Aravind, reportedly left behind a 28-page death note accusing his seniors of workplace harassment. The FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by Aravind’s brother, Ashwin Kannan.

According to officials, Bhavish Aggarwal, Subrath Kumar Das—head of Vehicle Homologations and Regulation at Ola—and others have been named under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The complaint also references financial irregularities amounting to ₹17.46 lakh, discovered after Aravind’s death.

The incident occurred on September 28, when Aravind allegedly consumed poison at his residence. Despite being rushed to a private hospital, he did not survive.

Aravind’s family later discovered the death note, which described alleged workplace harassment and misconduct by senior Ola executives. They also accused the HR department of failing to clarify certain unexplained money transfers into Aravind’s account.

A senior investigating officer confirmed that notices have been issued to all individuals named in the FIR. "They have submitted written explanations, and further investigation is in progress," the officer stated.

Ola has not yet released an official statement on the matter.

Meanwhile, last month, shares of Ola Electric Mobility fell nearly 8 per cent after Japanese investor SoftBank reduced its stake. Regulatory filings dated September 5 revealed that SVF II Ostrich (DE) LLC, SoftBank’s investment arm, sold about 94.9 million shares between July 15 and September 2. The sale represented over 2 per cent of the company’s equity, triggering mandatory SEBI disclosures.

IANS