BENGALURU: An employee of a food company in Bengaluru, Karnataka, was arrested after sending highly inappropriate messages to his young female manager while requesting a salary increment.
The 35-year-old employee, Pawan Ghoshal, who worked in the company’s IT department, sent a WhatsApp message to his 27-year-old manager, Rupali Verma, asking for a raise.
However, Pawan crossed professional boundaries through his choice of words.
In his message, Pawan wrote that since she was the manager, she was like a mother figure to him, adding that just as a crying child looks to its mother when hungry, he viewed her the same way.
He further wrote that if a child could not share his problems with his mother, then who else could he turn to, urging her to recommend his salary increment.
Rupali was infuriated upon reading the message. After consulting with a female colleague, she filed a formal written complaint with the company head, attaching a screenshot of the WhatsApp conversation.
In her complaint, Rupali stated that Pawan showed no regard for the fact that he was several years older than her, completely abandoned workplace ethics when communicating with a female coworker, and left her deeply traumatized.
Taking immediate action, the company head handed Pawan over to the police.
He faces a potential sentence of up to three years in prison along with a heavy fine under Section 78 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for stalking and harassment.
