Police have registered an FIR against Aundh-based IT firm Creative Web Solutions and six others for allegedly collecting money from employees by promising them jobs and salaries. PUNE: Police have registered an FIR against Aundh-based IT company Creative Web Solutions and six others for allegedly collecting money from employees by promising them jobs and salaries. Around 38 employees have claimed that they were cheated of a total of ₹75.13 lakh. The FIR was registered at Chaturshringi police station on Saturday against the company’s chief executive officer (CEO) Ankush Wankhede, managing director (MD) Tejashree Khatal, human resources (HR) official Prasanna Ambekar, Sagar Shelar, Manasi Shelar and others. According to the complaint filed by Archana Indulkar, 39, a Phursungi resident who holds a Master of Computer Science degree, the alleged fraud took place between May 5 and September 12. Indulkar and other employees alleged that the company asked them to pay 30% of their annual salary package as part of the employment process. The employees further alleged that the company shut down around four months ago without clearing their salaries for the previous four months. Indulkar told police that she and other employees had paid between ₹1 lakh and ₹3 lakh each to the firm.

According to the complaint, the total amount allegedly collected from the employees was ₹75.13 lakh. The complainants have submitted bank transaction records, screenshots and other documents to the police. Their statements have also been recorded as part of the ongoing investigation. The Federation of Information Technology Employees (FITE) has been pursuing 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 of 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.” FITE has urged the police to conduct a detailed investigation into the allegations, trace the financial transactions and identify everyone involved. The organisation has also sought protection for the complainants against any alleged threats, pressure or further financial exploitation during the investigation. Chaturshringi police station has registered the case under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The investigation is underway.