Fake student stays at IIT-Bombay for weeks—how he was arrested
01 Jul 2025

A 22-year-old man, Bilal Ahmad Teli, was arrested last week for posing as a student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-Bombay).

He had been living on the high-security campus for 14 days.

The ruse came to light on June 26 when an employee found him sleeping on a sofa and asked his identity.

Teli fled without answering, prompting officials to check CCTV footage, which confirmed he was not an enrolled student.

Attended lectures, participated in seminar
Deceptive stay

During his stay, Teli roamed freely on campus, slept in hostel lounges, attended lectures, and even participated in an Artificial Intelligence seminar.

He posed as a PhD student with fake admission documents and frequented areas with free food and beverages.

"He claimed to be a doctoral student and even had paperwork to match," authorities said.

However, they confirmed that he had no actual links to the institution.

He had stayed at IIT-Bombay for a month last year
Past incident

Further investigation revealed that Teli had stayed at IIT-Bombay for a month in 2023 without being noticed.

He is currently in judicial custody till July 7 as the Mumbai Crime Branch and central intelligence agencies continue their probe.

Authorities are also retrieving deleted data from his phone with help from a cyber lab amid concerns over possible anti-national motives.

Wanted to become social media influencer
Digital investigation

During questioning, Teli admitted to creating 21 email accounts for blogging and trying to become a social media influencer.

He said his motive was to "earn more money and gain popularity online."

After completing Class 12, he did a six-month software development course and a one-year diploma in web design.

Currently, he works at a private firm in Surat with a monthly salary of ₹1.25 lakh.

Authorities also found that Teli has traveled internationally, with trips to Dubai and Bahrain.