Mumbai: The Bangur Nagar police have booked a couple for duping a reputed company to the tune of crores of rupees. The main accused, Niketa Fernandes, allegedly caused huge losses to the firm she was working with, by illegally using the company’s confidential data for her own benefit.
Niketa was helped by her husband, Charles. The two worked at Gandhi Automations Pvt Ltd at Malad (W). The couple was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act.
According to police sources, Niketa was first associated with Gandhi Automations in 2002, at a minimal salary. Three years later, she was promoted to a senior designation, along with a considerable pay hike.
In a new role, Niketa was authorised to sign tender forms, quotations and other documents related to transactions on behalf of the company. She would leak the quotation of the projects to make personal profits, and in turn, helped the rival companies.
After the company began incurring losses, in 2009, all the employees were made to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), where all employees were asked to use an official email for communication. Niketa soon employed her husband Charles in the same company.
During the company’s audit, the directors observed a rapid fall in the number of its clients. When Niketa and Charles were questioned, the former offered her resignation, which was very unusual, said the complainant.
The directors then conducted an internal inquiry and discovered that Niketa had downloaded the company’s sensitive business information, including the list of all clients, telegraphic information, diagrams, transaction records and incriminatory material, which she mailed to the rivals through her personal email account.
The proprietors approached Bangur Nagar Police and registered a case against Charles and Niketa Fernandes. They were booked under relevant sections of the IPC for criminal breach of trust (408) and cheating (420), and under the IT Act.
Further investigations revealed the couple had quoted high prices to the company’s clients without the consent of the heads and proprietors. It favoured the rival firm. Subsequently, Gandhi Automations incurred losses worth crores, while the exact misappropriation of funds is yet to be ascertained.
