02 October,2023 07:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Faizan Khan
Dr Amarjeet Singh, complainant
Renowned Indian capital markets expert Dr Amarjeet Singh has made explosive allegations against a former employee, accusing her of stealing data from his company, EduEdge Pro, and using it to establish her own competing firm. EduEdge Pro specialises in skill development and skill enhancement in banking, financial services and insurance; capital markets; analytics; and FinTech, serving prominent clients such as Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG.
Dr Singh filed a first information report (FIR) against the accused, Garima Singh Makhija, 36, in the Bandra police station on September 2.
Makhija is alleged to have forwarded sensitive company data, including client details, videos and invoices, to her personal email address shortly after her resignation. She is accused of launching a company named 1 World Siksha Solutions and offering similar skill development programmes at a lower cost, potentially infringing on EduEdge Pro's client base.
Dr Singh expressed his concerns, stating, "She has not only forwarded the email to herself but has floated a company and is utilising all the material she has stolen from our company. She has even been spotted delivering lectures in reputable colleges. She has also approached some of my clients."
The case was registered in September under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal breach of trust, and under several sections of the IT Act.
According to Dr Singh's complaint, Makhija had worked with EduEdge Pro as a senior manager from November 2020 until October 2021, and then as a part-time employee from November 1, 2021, to June 21, 2023.
Dr Singh alleged that Makhija's behavior had been suspicious since February 2022 when she started missing office frequently. On June 20, 2023, a memo was sent to her to explain her behaviour after she allegedly misbehaved with a colleague, and the following day, she resigned.
The alleged data breach came to light when Dr Singh's team examined Makhija's official email account and discovered that she had forwarded a total of 32 emails to her personal account between June 12 and 22. These emails contained a staggering 2,048 attachments, encompassing crucial company data such as client information, videos, educational materials, purchase orders from Deloitte, participant lists, payment details, and even Dr Singh's signature specimens, GST, RoC certificates and case studies.
Further investigation revealed that Makhija had established a LinkedIn profile for her newly-formed company with striking similarities to EduEdge Pro.
In response to the allegations, Makhija filed an anticipatory bail application before the sessions court, on September 12, which is currently under review. So far, no relief has been granted, and the matter is being actively heard by the court. The application asserts that she had forwarded the emails to her personal account solely for office purposes, as a backup, in case the official system encountered issues, to ensure the continuity of work.
Dr Singh has also filed an application as an intervenor in the case. Additionally, Makhija approached the Versova police station, filing a complaint of mental and physical harassment against Dr Singh. However, the Versova police have not yet filed an FIR against Dr Singh, as he presented evidence of their cordial interactions, including chats where he referred to her as âbeta' and their normal communication during her tenure with the company.
"Not only has she absconded with our data, but it feels as though our entire company, the result of tireless work by both myself and my son alongside industry-leading experts, is being pilfered. It's not a matter of someone departing an organisation to pursue their own endeavours; it's the act of snatching our data and then courting our very clients with lower prices that truly troubles us," Singh said.
Despite repeated efforts, mid-day could not reach Makhija by press time.
Her anticipatory bail application reads, "It is nobody's case that at any point in time, the applicant (Makhija) had utilised the said data for her personal purposes. The applicant states that in fact, it is the practice of such companies to keep data in various e-mail files so that, if the need arises and/or if one file becomes corrupt, it can be opened from the other file and at the same time, since the entire functioning of the complainant attracts various taxes, they might be doing so in order to avoid disclosure of the same to the authorities concerned. The applicant states that in view of the said facts, the question of her having committed any such offence does not arise."
June 21
Day when Makhija resigned
