38 employees paid up to ₹3 lakh each for jobs, Pune IT firm booked over alleged ₹75.13 lakh fraud

Around 38 employees of an IT company in Pune have approached the police, alleging that they were asked to pay money to get jobs and salaries. They have claimed that they were cheated of a total ₹75.13 lakh, Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday.

Pune police have registered an FIR against Aundh-based Creative Web Solutions and six others in the case. The FIR was registered at Chaturshringi police station on Saturday.

The accused include CEO Ankush Wankhede, managing director Tejashree Khatal, human resources official Prasanna Ambekar, Sagar Shelar, Manasi Shelar and others.

The case is based on a complaint filed by Archana Indulkar, 39, of Phursungi. Indulkar has a Master of Computer Science degree. According to her complaint, the alleged fraud took place between May 5 and September 12.

The employees told the police that the company asked them to pay 30% of their annual salary package in connection with their employment. Indulkar said she and other employees paid between ₹1 lakh and ₹3 lakh each.

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The employees also alleged that the company shut down around four months ago. They said they were not paid their salaries for the four months before the company closed.

The total amount allegedly collected from the employees is ₹75.13 lakh.

The complainants have given bank transaction records, screenshots and other documents to the police. Their statements have also been recorded as part of the investigation.

The Federation of Information Technology Employees (FITE) has been taking up the matter with the police and other authorities on behalf of the affected employees.

Chilumula Rajnikanth, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 4), said, “We have filed an FIR based on the complaint filed by the victim, and search for the accused is underway.”

Prashant Pandit, secretary, FITE Maharashtra, said, “We thank the police for their support and for registering the FIR. The employees have lost their hard-earned money and are seeking justice."

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FITE has asked the police to carry out a detailed investigation and trace the alleged financial transactions. It has also asked the police to identify everyone involved in the case.

The organisation has also sought protection for the complainants from threats, pressure or further financial exploitation during the investigation.

Chaturshringi police station has filed the case under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.