Former employees booked for stealing company data and sharing with competitor

Mumbai police filed an FIR against two ex-employees of Baccarose for allegedly stealing confidential data and sharing it with a rival firm.

MUMBAI: The police have registered an FIR against two former employees of Baccarose Perfume and Beauty Products Private Limited in Worli, a leading distributor of perfumes and beauty products, for allegedly stealing confidential company data and sharing it with a competitor.

Former employees booked for stealing company data and sharing with competitor

The complaint was lodged by Laxman Patil, executive director of Baccarose, who alleged that the accused, identified as Vishwajeet Kakade, a former senior executive in the e-commerce department, and Sankesh Jaitapkar, a senior manager for brands, violated their employment agreements by emailing sensitive data to their private accounts before leaving the company.

According to the FIR, Kakade joined the company in April 2021 and resigned in July 2024. Jaitapkar was employed from 2021 and left in July 2023 to join a rival firm. Both had signed agreements prohibiting activities that could harm the company’s interests or lead to data breaches.

The FIR alleges that Kakade sent emails containing critical business information, including product sales data, pricing strategies, and demand forecasts, to Jaitapkar, who had already joined a competitor by then. This information, considered vital for strategic planning and maintaining market position, is said to have been misused to benefit the rival company.

“The stolen data plays a crucial role in deciding future business strategies, placing purchase orders, and directly impacts profits and losses,” the FIR stated.

Police suspect that the accused may have accessed additional sensitive information and believe they were hired by the competing company specifically to exploit Baccarose’s confidential data.

A case has been registered under section 316 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for criminal breach of trust, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

“We are investigating the matter thoroughly and gathering evidence to ascertain the extent of the data theft,” said a police official.