'Took deposit of Rs 15,000': 500 techies jobless as IT firm shuts Pune's Hinjewadi branch without notice; CEO Harshal Thakre detained

PUNE: At least 500 IT engineers, employees, and interns were rendered jobless after ThynkTech India OPC Pvt Ltd, a Noida-registered IT company, shut down its divisional branch in Hinjewadi without notice on April 22.

An intern working with the company lodged a complaint with the Hinjewadi police on Monday night accusing the company of cheating its employees, withholding salaries and misappropriating security deposits.

The police registered a case under Sections 316 (criminal breach of trust) and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the CEO, training and development head, and its HR head.

The Hinjewadi police on Tuesday night detained its CEO Harshal Thakre in Nashik, senior police inspector Balaji Pandhare said. Thakre will be brought to Pune. “We will question him regarding his involvement in the shutting down of the company and his intention behind the move,” Pandhare said.

Earlier in the day before he was detained, Thakre, when contacted, acknowledged that he was the CEO of the company but declined any comment, saying that he would speak on Wednesday.

Employees said that the firm was engaged in app development for third-party firms and hired computer engineers from small towns as full-stack, Java and Python developers. The company trained them for web services and app-based Android services and AI/ML integration.

Assistant police inspector Sandip Vangnekar, who is investigating the case, said that they have so far recorded statements of 30 software engineers working in the company.

“They told us that the company took a deposit of Rs 15,000 from each of them for issuing laptops. They have not received their salaries for the past two months. Collectively, they were allegedly duped of Rs 11.25 lakh. We expect more employees to approach us,” Vangnekar said.

Some affected staffers said the company conducted a recruitment drive last year. Initially, its operations appeared smooth, and interns received their Rs 15,000 stipend on time.

“However, trouble began in Feb 2026 when salaries were not credited on the usual dates of the 7th or 8th of the month,” Vangnekar said. When employees sought clarification, the CEO claimed the delay was because of an “internal audit” and assured them that payments would be released between Feb 25 and 28.

Employees said salaries remained unpaid, and the company subsequently ceased its operations. The company operated from rented premises and the owner locked it after the rent was not paid, Vangnekar added.

A 24-year-old engineering graduate from Jalna, hired in Feb via campus placement, said he was offered a Rs 15,000 stipend for the training period and a Rs 5.5 lakh CTC on joining. The company took a Rs 15,000 deposit for his laptop. “Neither did the stipend for the two months come nor did the laptop,” he said.

The CEO, HR head and the training head coordinated daily tasks, he added. “We called all three several times but there was no response. It appears that the company was running on the deposits that they took from joinees because hardly anyone received laptops. I have spent so much money on rent and living expenses in Pune. It turns out the job was a huge scam,“ he added.

Pragati, a ThynkTech employee, said the market is flooded with freshers and they will struggle to get jobs. “We can’t even put our company’s name on our CV because it doesn’t count as work experience. Who will give us a job?” she added.

A 22-year-old intern with the firm from Nandurbar was desperate for work. “After my Google Meet interview and I got an email from ThynkTech saying that if I paid a Rs 15,000 deposit, I would get my offer letter. I found it strange, but my friends had been working there for 2-3 months, so I paid up. I was still training when the company shut. I am poor and have no support, yet I paid the deposit,” he added.

An intern said after the firm closed operations, they were added to a social media group where updates about pending payments were given up to May 17.