Bengaluru startup CEO alleges ex-employee stole his passport with US Visa following mass layoffs: Check details
Mass Layoffs and Financial Strain
As per Entrackr, Founder and CEO Vishwa Nath Jha attributed these layoffs to “investor pressure” and the company’s urgent need to stabilize its finances. However, the decision to cut staff has led to ongoing issues.
Since March 2023, several former employees have accused Saarthi AI of withholding their salaries. Jha has consistently denied these allegations, calling them a “defamation campaign” against the company. He asserts that no salaries have been withheld and insists that the company is working diligently to resolve any financial discrepancies.
Passport Theft Allegation
Adding to the company’s woes, Jha recently claimed that a senior employee stole his passport, which included a crucial US visa. This theft, according to Jha, has prevented him from traveling abroad to secure new funding for Saarthi AI. “While I managed to reissue a new passport, I am yet to get the US visa again. It’s a long queue,” Jha told Entrackr, a tech news website.
Current and former employees of Saarthi AI present a different narrative. They report that over 50 employees are still awaiting their salaries, with some legal notices remaining unanswered. One anonymous ex-employee shared their frustration, stating, “The founder has been unresponsive and even mentioned that he doesn’t owe us any explanation on multiple occasions.”
TDS and Future Prospects
Jha has also admitted that the company failed to deposit Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) for its employees over the past two fiscal years. Despite these
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