Work-From-Home and Gone: Pune Techie Vanishes After Duping Colleagues of Rs 3.9 Crore

Pune, 24th November 2025: A former software engineer from a Kalyaninagar-based IT company has been booked for allegedly duping 10 of his colleagues of nearly Rs 3.9 crore after promising high returns through stock market investments, Pune police said.

According to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), the alleged fraud took place between May 2021 and July 2022, when the accused was still working with the firm.

“He originally hails from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh and has been untraceable ever since the complaints surfaced,” an EOW officer said.

Police officials said the victims waited several months before approaching the authorities, hoping their ex-colleague would repay the amounts he had taken. When he stopped answering their calls and messages, the group approached the Yerawada police station and later handed over detailed statements to the EOW, given the scale of the fraud.

A 39-year-old tech professional from Wadgaon Sheri filed the primary complaint, following which Yerawada police registered an FIR on Saturday.

Investigators said the accused had worked closely with the complainants for years and had established trust among them by frequently talking about his supposed success in stock trading.

“He convinced his colleagues that he could get them higher profits if they invested through him. Believing him, several employees transferred money — some gave around Rs 5 lakh, while others went up to Rs 20 lakh,” the officer added.

After collecting the funds, the accused sought work-from-home permission and quietly left Pune, later resigning from his job.

“We visited his family home in Jhansi, but he was not found there. His bank accounts have been frozen, and efforts are underway to track him down,” the officer said.