Pune, 16 August 2025: A shocking case of fraud has emerged from Pune’s IT hub, Hinjawadi, where nearly 400 young jobseekers have been left stranded after an IT consultancy firm abruptly shut down operations. The firm, based in the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, allegedly collected crores of rupees by promising training, stipends, and assured placements, only to vanish without fulfilling its commitments.
Candidates said they were charged between ₹1 lakh and ₹3 lakh for a two-month training program, with the assurance of a ₹15,000 stipend and guaranteed jobs offering annual salaries of ₹3–4 lakh. Initially, training was conducted and stipends were provided, which made the scheme appear genuine.
However, after training ended, the situation worsened. Many candidates were assigned projects but did not receive salaries for nearly four months. The firm’s office remained closed most of the time, and when employees demanded answers, they were allegedly met with hostility. In some cases, the company is even said to have called the police on its own recruits.
With no clarity from the company, the distressed candidates turned to the Forum for IT Employees (FITE). The group strongly condemned the incident and announced that it would escalate the matter to the Labour Commissioner.
FITE said the case must not be seen as a simple labour issue but as an act of deception. It demanded strict legal action, stating that shutting down a company without paying employees amounts to criminal fraud and should be treated accordingly.
