Bengaluru man's suicide was premeditated, say Mumbai police

A day after Bengaluru youth Arjun Bhardwaj committed suicide and livestreamed it on Facebook, the Mumbai police, which are investigating the case, feel that the act was premeditated, but the circumstances under which the 23-year-old ended his life were yet to be ascertained.

The Bandra police, who have registered a case of accidental death, confirmed that the post-mortem had been conducted and the body was handed over to his father, Hari Narayan Bhardwaj. The post-mortem report is however awaited, a senior official of the Bandra police station told DH.

“The way the suicide was committed, the manner he wrote the notes, the way he recorded the act on Facebook live, it was premeditated and enough thought process has gone into it,” a senior police official said. The father of the boy was in Chembur, Mumbai, with a relative and was in touch with him a few days ago.

Arjun was a third-year BCom student at Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics who hailed from Bengaluru and lived in a flat in Andheri.

He booked a room in a hotel and checked in around 3 pm, spent over three hours in his suite before be broke the glass window and jumped out at around 6.30 pm. “We are looking into the case in detail. We have spoken to his father, but a detailed statement is to be recorded.

We will also speak to his friends and relatives. We are checking his social media profile and his posts,” the official said. Asked about reports that the boy was into drugs, the official said that they could comment only after receiving the post-mortem report. “At least, we will come to know whether he had taken drugs before the suicide,” he said.

Cops tell kids to reach out to them

Hours after the incident, the Mumbai police tweeted, urging youngsters to reach out to them. Using the hashtag #WeAreListening, the Mumbai police are trying to create awareness and ensure people reach out to them in moments of crisis.

“Deeply bereaved with suicide of a young boy in the city. We urge youngsters to reach out to us at #WeAreListening,” they said.