Jaydeep Jadhav, a 26-year-old Nagpur-educated software engineer, was the first to transition from the family’s traditional farming roots into a corporate career when he secured a job with Pune-based QuantumSoft Technologies in July 2025, through a placement agency. The agency had promised Jadhav a position in a software company with an annual salary of ₹10 lakh, for which he had to pay up ₹3.5 lakh as placement and training fee.On June 3, a case was registered against ThynkTech India’s CEO Harshal Thakare and two others, after complaints from former employees, leading to Thakare’s arrest. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)Jadhav borrowed money from his family in Bhandara, Vidarbha, where they cultivate paddy, hoping to return the loan after securing a job. But that was not to be; after a few months of smooth run salaries were delayed – with employees being repeatedly assured that new projects were on the anvil – until the company shut down operations in February 2026.“Not only am I debt-ridden now, but after getting a good job my family fixed a marital alliance for me, which now stands postponed,” said Jadhav, who registered an FIR against Nikhileshwar Kshirsagar, CEO of QuantumSoft Technologies, who was subsequently arrested by Viman Nagar police in March. Investigations have revealed that at least 76 job aspirants were cheated of approximately ₹1.52 crore by the company.Jadhav’s is not a singular case; the widespread malaise involving IT firms and placement agencies that con young hopefuls out of their money came into the spotlight when Pune police registered criminal cases against owners of QuantumSoft Technologies and ThynkTech India between March and June 2026.4000 complaints with FITEThe Forum for IT Employees and Freshers (FITE), an organisation that works to protect employee rights in the tech sector, claims to have received over 4000 complaints over the last three months from similarly affected people who were employed in IT companies in and around Pune. Apart from QuantumSoft Technologies and ThynkTech India, other names that feature in the list are Flynaut SaaS, Accrue Tech, Radiant Technology, Gtasterix and Kavya Tech.In October 2025, the Hinjawadi police arrested Upesh Patil, owner of Flynaut SaaS, after receiving complaints from young IT professionals who alleged that the company took money from them and fired them within a few months. In April 2026, Accrue Tech’s owner Amol Mahadik was arrested after police received similar allegations from ex-employees, while more recently, on June 3, a case was registered against ThynkTech India’s CEO Harshal Thakare and two others, after complaints from former employees, leading to Thakare’s arrest.Assistant police inspector Sachin Wanganekar, who is investigating the ThynkTech case, said, “Initial probe suggests the accused took ₹15,000 each from interns for providing laptops. They were promised ₹15,000 per month, after two months’ unpaid internships. The young engineers who have approached us till now were not paid salaries for at least three months.” He added, while the case was registered earlier this month, fresh recruits had been victimised since September 2025.When power preysKolhapur-based Abhishek Belekar, 28, joined Data Tech Lab, in Bavdhan, in 2024, after paying ₹1.5 lakh to a placement company. He joined the company with an annual salary of ₹3 lakh, but was removed from the job after three months with his dues held back. “More than 10 people faced similar circumstances – all of them compelled to leave without their dues being cleared,” said Belekar. “This is a fraudulent company which has tied up with several consultancy firms that dupe job seekers in this way,” he alleged.He and his colleagues approached Pune police with a complaint in October 2025, following which Data Tech’s owner Amit Andre was arrested. Belekar is now back in Kolhapur looking for a suitable job.Likewise, Santosh Jathar, a computer science graduate from Karad, Satara district, paid ₹2.10 lakh to a consultancy agency before joining Flynaut SaaS, in Hinjawadi. After an initial smooth run, salaries of new recruits were stopped although projects continued to be assigned, with repeated assurance that arrears would be cleared soon. When the company failed to keep up its promise, Jathar quit his job. While he shied away from approaching cops, his colleague Rahul Shinde and others, who had paid ₹2.90 lakh each to Flynaut SaaS, through a placement agency, filed a police complaint against owners of the company -- Upesh Patil and Poonam Patil – and the agent Rohan Ambulkar.An officer from Hinjawadi police station said, “At least 14 people were duped by the company. The accused has defrauded IT freshers of a total of ₹24 lakh.”While Upesh Patil was arrested, the other two accused are absconding.“They did not have any live project, and were asking us to work on dummy projects,” alleged Jathar. “I have exhausted all my savings and lost faith in placement agencies,” he said, adding that unwilling to take a chance, he has joined his uncle’s fabrication business in Karad.However, unlike Shinde, Belekar and Jadhav, not everyone has the courage to approach the police – some fear being embroiled in lengthy legal proceedings, while others are anxious about how it would affect their future employment opportunities.Pavanjeet Mane, president of FITE Maharashtra, said the reported cases are only a tip of the iceberg. “Over 4,000 fresh IT employees have approached us in similar circumstances. We are collecting documents to fortify the cases,” said Mane. The organisation has also written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking the formation of an SIT to probe the recruitment scam.He alleged candidates are charged between ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh by the agencies and are allegedly placed in companies that either fail to provide regular salaries, shut down operations or terminate employees after a short period. “Those who have managed to escape the police net have simply shifted operations under different names after shutting down existing entities,” Mane alleged. “While 4000 freshers have shared their experiences with us, the overall number of victims across Maharashtra could exceed 10,000.”Pradip Jadhav, deputy commissioner of police (Zone 2), Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, said, “We are treating the complaints as top priority. The ThynkTech India case surfaced when several freshers who were cheated complained about the firm’s owner. The prime accused has been arrested and search is on to locate the other suspects.”The labour department has also received an increasing number of complaints, confirmed deputy labour commissioner Nikhil Walke. “We have initiated an independent enquiry into these allegations; action will be taken accordingly,” he said.