Firm officials cited various reasons to avoid paying salaries, even claimed file was stuck due to Ajit Pawar’s death: Employees

Pune: Officials of Noida-registered ThynkTech India OPC Ltd allegedly gave multiple excuses to avoid paying salaries to employees at its Hinjewadi branch. In Jan, the staffers were told payments were delayed because the firm’s file was stuck in the finance department following the then-finance minister Ajit Pawar’s death in an air crash, a woman employee told TOI on Wednesday.

Soon after firm CEO Harshal Thakre’s arrest on Wednesday, several employees rendered jobless after the company’s sudden shutdown in April gathered at the Hinjewadi police station. Most of them said they were fresh engineering graduates who had secured their first jobs through campus placements conducted by Thakre and his team across colleges in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune and other cities.

A woman from Latur, who graduated from a Pune-based engineering college, said she was selected during an eight-hour campus placement drive last Sept. “We were asked to join immediately, promised Rs 15,000 per month and told to deposit Rs 15,000 for a laptop. The office did not have enough space, forcing employees to work in shifts from 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm and 9am-6pm. Despite working regularly, we never received any salary,” she said.

According to her, whenever employees inquired about their salaries, the management cited various reasons, including pending audits or delays due to currency conversion from US dollars. “In Jan, they even claimed salary payments were delayed due to Ajit Pawar’s demise in air crash, saying their file was stuck at the finance department,” the woman added.

82 candidates selected from Nashik

A recent engineering graduate from Nashik said a placement drive was held last Sept at a local college, with students from eight institutes participating. “I was among the 82 candidates selected. It was my first job and I was very happy,” he said.

The engineering graduate, however, alleged that only 60 candidates were selected through a proper process, while others were asked to join without evaluation. “We were told to work from home and asked to pay Rs 15,000 as a laptop deposit. We were given laptops, but after two months of training, we were asked to return them to another batch. I never met Thakre after joining and visited the Hinjewadi office only once. I have come to the police station to record my statement,” he said.

Another candidate from Solapur said the firm frequently claimed to have multiple projects in progress and collaborations with well-known IT firms. “Since it was our first job, we trusted them. Now, we are uncertain about our careers. The firm not only failed to pay the employees, but also vendors, including a woman supplying tea and coffee, as well as the property owner for rent, electricity and maintenance charges,” he alleged.

The Hinjewadi police said laptop vendors had also approached them, alleging fraud. According to senior police inspector Balaji Pandhare, the firm rented around 300 laptops at Rs 2,000 per month but failed to pay the dues. Instead, it reportedly collected Rs 15,000 from each employee for laptop issuance. “This clearly indicates an intention to cheat employees,” he said.