By News18
A 22-year-old man with no formal college degree managed to infiltrate the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-Bombay) and live undetected on its high-security campus for nearly two weeks, authorities revealed.
The man, identified as Bilal Ahmad Teli, was arrested last week after an IIT-Bombay employee spotted him sleeping on a sofa and questioned his identity. Bilal Ahmad Teli fled the scene, triggering a review of CCTV footage which confirmed that he was not an enrolled student.
According to officials, Bilal Ahmad Teli roamed freely across the campus, slept in hostel lounges, attended lectures and even participated in a seminar on Artificial Intelligence, all while posing as a PhD student. He also used fake admission documents to bolster his story and frequented areas where free food and beverages were available.
鈥淗e claimed to be a doctoral student and even had paperwork to match,鈥 authorities said, adding, 鈥淏ut he had no actual links to the institution.鈥
Further investigation revealed that Bilal Ahmad Teli had previously stayed at IIT-Bombay for a month in 2023, going completely unnoticed at the time. Bilal Ahmad Teli is currently in judicial custody until July 7 while the Mumbai Crime Branch and central intelligence agencies continue their probe. Authorities are retrieving deleted data from his phone at a cyber lab, amid concerns over possible anti-national motives. Intelligence officials have not ruled out a wider agenda and are investigating all angles.
During questioning, Bilal Ahmad Teli admitted to creating 21 email accounts which he claims were used for blogging and attempting to build a social media influencer career. His motive, he told police, was to 鈥渆arn more money and gain popularity online.鈥
Bilal Ahmad Teli completed a six-month software development course and a one-year diploma in web design after Class 12 and is currently employed at a private firm in Surat with a monthly income of 鈧1.25 lakh.
Authorities uncovered his international travel history, including visits to Dubai and Bahrain, adding another layer to the investigation.