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Published 19:46 IST, January 21st 2025

Suchir Balaji Death | Apartment Ransacked, Signs of Struggle: Republic Accesses Clincher Video | Exclusive

Republic TV has accessed exclusive crime scene footage of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji's ransacked apartment.

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Republic access exclusive crime scene footage of ransacked apartment of Open AI whistleblower Suchir Balaji who was killed in November last year
Republic access exclusive crime scene footage of ransacked apartment of Open AI whistleblower Suchir Balaji who was killed in November last year | Image: Republic

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing investigation into the death of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji, Republic TV has accessed exclusive crime scene footage from his ransacked apartment. The footage showed signs of struggle or altercation that may have occurred at the time of the incident.

Suchir Balaji (26) was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his San Francisco apartment in November last year.

Multiple Bloodstains, Wig-Like Material Found  

According to the footage accessed, multiple bloodstains have been found on the floor and walls of the bathroom. A wig-like material and earbuds on the floor have also been recovered from the spot. As per the visuals, there is a likely possibility of signs of struggle at the crime scene. 

A bullet gun tray has also been recovered from the spot. 6 bullets have been missing from the 44-bullet gun tray.

Suicide or Murder? 

The initial investigation into the incident pointed towards a suicide; however, Suchir’s family has called for an FBI investigation into the matter. The victim's family claims that there has been foul play in the incident. 

Earlier on December 30, 2024, in an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami , Suchir Balaji's mother, Poornima Ramarao, revealed startling new details about her son's death. 

When asked, "Is there something that either of you would like to say regarding Suchir and how he was found dead? Suchir's mother Poornima Rama Rao said, “I think it's a little difficult for me to repeat that over and over again. But it was a couple of days since we were not hearing from him. And then we filed a police complaint and called the police to come and open the door. That's how we found it through. But unfortunately, we were not as per the protocol. We were not allowed to go inside. ”

"We haven't received the pictures from the crime scene yet. At this moment, it's a lot of questions in front of us. The fact that we have come here shows that he was very brave and he was not backing off in any situation. He was extremely brave. What we feel is it doesn't really add up that the way he went public and he openly spoke about it and he had a publication. Someone who is that bold cannot take this kind of step," she added.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Police Department has reopened the case as an "active investigation", but has refused to provide any further details. 

OpenAI Breaks Silence  

ChatGPT developer OpenAI broke silence on the death case of whistleblower Suchir Balaji. In its first reaction, expressing grief, the tech giant said, “Suchir was a valued member of our team and we are still heartbroken by his passing. We continue to feel his loss deeply.”

"We've reached out to the San Francisco Police Department and have offered our assistance if it's needed. Law enforcement are the right authorities in this situation, and we trust them to continue sharing updates as needed. Out of respect, we won't be commenting further," it added.

Who was Suchir Balaji?

Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old Indian-American tech researcher who openly criticized the use of copyrighted data in artificial intelligence (AI), was found dead in his San Francisco apartment. He joined OpenAI in 2019 and during his four years at the company, he worked on several projects, including GPT-4 training and improving ChatGPT’s performance. 

He left OpenAI in August this year, expressing concerns over the potential harm OpenAI could cause. During his tenure, he played a significant role in data collection for OpenAI's flagship product, ChatGPT.

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Updated 20:08 IST, January 21st 2025