Air Force Cadet Trainee Found Hanging in Bangalore Campus

A cadet trainee was found dead in a room of Air Force Training College (AFTC) in Bengaluru on the 24th of September. For more information read the full article.

A cadet trainee was found dead in a room of Air Force Training College (AFTC) in Bengaluru on the 24th of September. The Gangammanagudi police have booked six Indian Air Force officers for murder after a case was registered by the deceased’s brother Aman Jha.

Aman has also alleged in his complaint that attempts were made to tamper with the evidence as people from the AFTC were present around 4:30 am on Saturday at the police station with a piece of evidence he was also looking for. He even found it suspicious that how the people from AFTC knew already about his visit to the police station in the early hours and reached there.

Suspects are of the ranks of Air Commodore, Group Captain and Wing Commander. Police suspected that the death happened four or five days back. A seven-page death note has been left by Jha in which he allegedly noted the names of all the six suspects.

“Investigation is on. No arrests have been made. It appears that he has died by hanging himself. The postmortem report will ascertain the cause of the death. The statements of the suspects can indicate why the deceased took the extreme step,” said a police officer. The family members of the deceased have alleged that he was victimised and tortured on the college campus.

“The officers against whom the complaint was lodged have not been arrested but the Indian Air Force has assured us all assistance,” the officer said. He further added that they are waiting for the postmortem report to carry forward the investigation.

“One trainee officer, who was discharged from service after the court of inquiry, was found hanging yesterday evening. A case has been registered,” said Vinayak Patil, DCP (North).

Ankit Kumar Jha joined the Air Force in February 2021 as an Under Trainee Flying Officer (UTFO). However, his training was discontinued this month on 20 September for alleged misconduct based on an investigation that took place after a complaint against him by a woman trainee officer, the IAF said in a statement.