‘Tell my family…’: Before death by suicide, Ola Krutrim engineer Nikhil Somwanshi sent a final message to his roommate

An employee of Ola's Artificial Intelligence arm, Krutrim, recently died by suicide in the Karnataka capital, Bengaluru.

The body of 24-year-old IT engineer Nikhil Somwanshi was found in Agara Lake, near his residence in HSR Layout, on the morning of 8 May.

Somwanshi, a native of Jalgaon in Maharashtra, had left his residence on the evening of 7 May and sent a chilling message to his roommate, asking him to inform his family that he had died in an accident, India Today reported.

Following Somwanshi’s message, the roommate went out to look for him, as he was not reachable by phone.

Tracking Somwanshi’s live location through a linked device, the roommate rushed to a spot near Agara Lake, where he found a pair of slippers.

The roommate immediately informed the police.

However, the India Today report said that on the night of 7 May, emergency responders could not begin search operations due to poor visibility after dark.

His body was recovered from Agara Lake the following morning.

“The case was reported on 7 May. A case of unnatural death has been registered, and our investigation is underway. We are awaiting the postmortem report,” India Today quoted Sarah Fatima, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Bengaluru South East, as saying.

According to media reports, Somwanshi had completed his master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, where he earned a GPA of 9.30.

Krutrim extends full support to Nikhil Somwanshi’s family

Krutrim on Sunday said it is extending full support to the family of Nikhil Somwanshi and is in contact with authorities to offer assistance as needed.

A statement by Krutrim said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of one of our most talented young employees, Nikhil Somwanshi, on 8 May. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” according to a report by news agency PTI.

“We are extending our full support to Nikhil's family and our employees during this time of grief. We are also in contact with the relevant authorities and will continue to offer our assistance as needed,” the statement said.

On social media, it has emerged that a young engineer at Krutrim died by suicide, allegedly due to “extreme work pressure”.

Krutrim said Somwanshi was “on personal leave at the time of the incident”.

“He had reached out to his manager on 8 April, expressing that he needed rest, and was promptly granted personal time off. Later, on 17 April, he shared that he was feeling better but would benefit from additional rest, and his leave was extended accordingly.”