Pune Infosys techie murder: Here are 10 things we know so far

Police have issued guidelines to IT companies in the city to step up security on campuses.

The murder of 25-year-old Infosys engineer Rasila Raju OP in her Pune office has again raised concerns about safety of working women. Police have issued guidelines to IT companies in the city to step up security on campuses.

Rasila Raju OP was had studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya at Kozhikode in Kerala.(HT FILE)

Ten things we know about the techie’s murder:

• Rasila Raju OP was found dead late on January 29 on the ninth floor of Infosys’ facility in Hinjewadi IT park near Pune. She was found strangled with a computer cable.

• A security guard, Bhaben Saikia, was arrested from a train station in neighbouring Mumbai for the murder the next day. The 26-year-old Saikia, who came from Assam, worked with a private security firm and was sent to the Infy campus six months ago, police said. His background check returned clean, no history of crime.

• January 29, Sunday, was Rasila’s day off but she was working on a project, so she came to office and was in touch with colleagues in Bengaluru. Her supervisor in Bengaluru alerted colleagues in the Hinjewadi office after her phone went unanswered in the evening. Her colleagues found her lying on the floor with a computer wire around her neck, assistant police commissioner Vaishali Jadhav said. She was punched in the face before being strangled.

• The guard, said police, allegedly killed Rasila after she ticked him off for staring at her. Rasila had complained about Saikia’s “advances” to the company but no action was taken, her maternal uncle said.

• Infosys said it was committed to the safety of its employees. “Yesterday’s unfortunate incident is a reminder, however, that nothing is foolproof, and we are continuing to seek recommendations and suggestions from different stakeholders on how we can try and strengthen the safety of our employees at our campuses and offices,” it said in a statement on January 30.

• Rasila’s father, however, blamed the software giant for security lapses. The Bengaluru-headquartered firm said it would pay Rs 1 crore as ex gratia to Rasila’s family and give a job to one of her family members.

• According to her family, police found Rasila’s purse, coffee mug and other personal belongings but not her mobile phone. The phone was found Wednesday.

• Before coming to work, Rasila had told her friends that she had sought a transfer back to Bangalore, which was closer home. She came from Kozhikode in Kerala and was transferred to Pune six months ago.

• A student of Kozhikode Kendriya Vidyalaya, Rasila went to neighbouring Tamil Nadu for higher studies. After completing BTech, she got a job with Infosys in Bengaluru around two years ago.

• Rasila was buried in her hometown on Tuesday.

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