38-year-old Ola engineer K Aravind died by suicide, accusing his superiors, including Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, of mental harassment and financial exploitation.
According to officials, Aravind had been working as a homologation engineer with Ola since 2022. The engineer consumed poison on September 28, 2025, in his residence in Bengaluru’s Chikkalasandra.. Discovering him, his friends took him to the Maharaja Agrasena Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. However, Aravind passed away the same day.
Aravind’s brother found a 28-page-long handwritten note filled with the engineer’s last thoughts. In the note, Aravind accused Subrat Kumar Das and Bhavish Aggarwal of workplace harassment and pressure. The note claimed that Aravind was mentally tortured and denied his salary and allowances, which ultimately drove him to kill himself.
Additionally, Aravind’s brother claimed that there was a suspicious bank transfer to the engineer’s account of ₹17,46,313 made two days after his death via NEFT. The brother claimed that when he reached out to the company for clarification, he only received vague responses.
He claimed that, later, three Ola representatives, Kratesh Desai, Paramesh, and Roshan, did visit Aravind’s residence following the death. However, they allegedly did not provide consistent information about the suspicious transfer, which has apparently left family members doubtful about the company’s intentions.
Following Aravind’s death and the discovery of his note, the engineer’s brother filed a complaint with the police, leading to a case against Bhavish Aggarwal, Das, and others on October 6, 2025.
As per the FIR, Aravind’s death was directly attributed to the constant harassment, humiliation, and financial exploitation by his superiors. As such, his family has urged that the police take legal action against the named individuals and hold them accountable for abetment to suicide.
Ola’s Response
Following Aravind’s Death, Ola released a statement, condoning the engineer’s passing.
“We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind, and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time. Aravind had been associated with Ola Electric for over three and a half years and was based at our headquarters in Bangalore. During his tenure, Aravind never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or any harassment. His role also did not involve any direct interaction with the company’s top management, including the promoter,” the statement read.
The company added that it has challenged the FIR against Aggarwal and the others before the Karnataka High Court.
“Protective orders have been passed in favour of Ola Electric and its officials. In order to provide immediate support to the family, the company promptly facilitated the full and final settlement to his bank account. Ola Electric is fully cooperating with the authorities in their ongoing investigation and remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and supportive workplace for all employees,” the company’s spokesperson stated.
