22-yr-old posed as IIT Bombay student, lived on campus for weeks

A 22-year-old man was arrested in Mumbai for impersonating a student of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) and trespassing on the campus.

For two weeks, Bilal Ahmed Teli lived in the highly secure IIT Bombay campus, posing as PhD student and attending lectures throughout the institute.

His cheating was discovered on June 26 an IIT Bombay staffer found him asleep on a couch. Upon asking for his credentials, Bilal fled.

According to Mumbai crime branch, Bilal had been residing on the campus, sleeping on couches in hostel rooms and visiting places where free coffee was available. He also attended a seminar on Artificial Intelligence.

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Officials say Bilal faked his admission documents and hence, was able to fly under the radar.

During interrogation, Bilal stated he works at a Surat-based private company, drawing a monthly salary of Rs 1.25 lakhs. He studied web design for a year and software development for six months.

He further claimed this is not his first time on the IIT-Bombay campus. Previously, in 2024, he resided for a month at the university. He revealed he created 21 fake email IDs and several blogs, intending to become a social media influencer.

He is currently under judicial custody till July 7. His phone was also seized in the investigation, revealing deleted data that cybercrime labs are now attempting to restore.

Intelligence and anti-terror agencies have also begun to question Bilal in the wake of his discovery, owing to his previous travel history to Bahrain and Dubai. Officials told reporters that a possible anti-national angle is being investigated.

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