Over 700 employees and interns of a private IT firm in IT hub of Hinjewadi in Maharashtra's Pune were left without jobs, with no salaries and benefits, after the organisation abruptly shut down. Based on a complaint filed by the staff, Harshal Thakare, the CEO of Noida-based Thynk Tech India OPC Pvt Ltd, was reportedly arrested.
Thakare was also the company's Head of Training and Development, and apart from him, an HR manager is also under police scanner. The CEO's arrest came after a complaint by a 25-year-old intern, and about 30 others also spoke against the firm.
Grave allegations have been levelled against the company and Thakare has been booked on charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust, ANI news agency reported.
‘Collected ₹15,000, paid no salaries’
Employees claimed they were not paid salaries or stipends for months, and were asked to fetch ₹15,000 on the pretext of being handed over laptops. Several complainants alleged that they didn't receive salaries for one to three months.
The Forum for IT Employees (FITE) said several staff members approached the body seeking help. "We had approached Hinjewadi Police to file an FIR against the owners of the firm after several interns complained to us," FITE chief Pavanjit Mane told ANI.
"The company started operations last year and initially paid salaries to freshers. However, from January onwards, employees were not paid. The owners kept giving new dates for salary payments whenever employees approached them, but they never fulfilled those promises," he said.
How engineering students were ‘duped’
{{/usCountry}}"The company started operations last year and initially paid salaries to freshers. However, from January onwards, employees were not paid. The owners kept giving new dates for salary payments whenever employees approached them, but they never fulfilled those promises," he said.
How engineering students were ‘duped’
{{/usCountry}}According to reports, the firm hired several engineering graduates from different places in Maharashtra, including Yavatmal, Jalgaon and Nashik.
The staff saw doors of the firm sealed on April 22, with a notice by the property owner slapped on its glass door, seeking pending rent and other maintenance charges, according to an Indian Express report.
The report said that Thynk Tech was listed on placement drives of several well-known institutions in Maharashtra, which gave the firm some credence. “We thought that if reputed colleges are allowing Thynk Tech for campus placements, they must have done a background check,” an intern was quoted as saying by IE.
All about the company
Thynk Tech India OPC Pvt is a firm that operated from its divisional office in Hinjewadi Phase II in Pune, while its registered head office is located in Noida. Police is currently investigating the company's financial transactions to determine the scale of fraud that the employees may have been subjected to.
Harshal Thakare, the accused arrested in the case, is the CEO and Head of Training and Development of the company. According to FITE, the company begans its Pune operations last year.