'Told company to inform wife': Gujarat techie working from home for Bengaluru firm falls to death; multiple knife slashes found on body

SURAT: Akshat Shah, 30, fell to his death from the fourth floor of a hotel building in the Vesu area of the city in Gujarat and died on the spot, police said. Shah was a software engineer with a Bengaluru-based IT firm and earned Rs 50 lakh a year.

His wife is a dentist with a successful practice. Police are investigating the death to determine if it is a murder or suicide.

Vijaysinh Gurjar, DCP (Zone 4), told TOI: "The victim lived at Veerbhadra Heights in Magdalla. He was employed at an IT firm in the work-from-home mode. We found a suicide note that does not blame anyone and does not cite any reason. As we found multiple wounds from a knife on his body, we are investigating whether this is a suicide or murder."

"On the face of it, it appears to be a suicide, as we have CCTV footage of him buying a knife from a shop. He also made an online payment. He entered Elegant Hotel at about 1pm and fell to the ground at about 5pm, from the window of his hotel room. He likely slashed himself with the knife multiple times in the bathroom before he fell, as it was filled with blood," Gurjar said.

It is likely Shah planned this course of action, as he sent an email to his firm before taking the extreme step. He wrote his wife's name and mobile number in the email and requested the firm to inform her that he was at the Vesu hotel.

The firm promptly sent a screenshot of the email to his wife but, by the time she called up the hotel, he had already jumped, police said.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Akshat Shah, a 30-year-old software engineer from Bengaluru, fell to his death from the fourth floor of a hotel building in the Vesu area of Gujarat, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
• Police discovered a suicide note left by Akshat Shah that does not assign blame or provide a clear reason for his actions, alongside multiple knife wounds on his body.
• CCTV footage revealed that Akshat Shah purchased a knife shortly before his death, and he sent an email to his employer informing them of his location and including his wife's contact information.