The owner of Mumbai’s popular courier and logistics service provider, Vichare Couriers, has been booked by the Charkop police for an alleged Rs 4.71 crore provident fund fraud. It is reported that the company’s founders and directors deducted money from employees’ salaries but did not deposit it with the provident fund office. The Charkop police are currently investigating the matter.
The complaint was filed by Provident Fund inspector Sneha Kulkarni against the founder and directors of Vichare Express and Logistics Private Ltd, Mahendra Vinayak Vichare, Chandrakant Vasant Vichare, and Avinash Shirke.
Vichare Couriers was established in December 1996 and has grown to have over 43 service centers and more than 600 employees, with a registered office in Charkop, Kandivali (West).
According to Kulkarni’s statement, the accused founders and directors deducted Rs 4.71 crore towards PF from their employees’ salaries between November 2020 and 2022 but did not deposit the money with the PF office. This resulted in a complaint being filed against them by the PF office, linking them to criminal breach of trust and cheating under the Indian Penal Code.
The Charkop police have registered a case against the accused, Mahendra Vichare, Chandrakant Vichare, and Avinash Shirke, but no arrests have been made yet. The investigation is ongoing as documents related to the case are being analyzed.
It is important to note that Vichare Couriers has a significant presence in Mumbai and has been a prominent player in the courier and logistics industry for several years, making this alleged fraud a concerning issue for both employees and the provident fund office.
Historically, provident fund fraud cases have been a point of concern in India, often leading to significant financial losses for employees and legal action against the accused. Such cases highlight the importance of transparency and ethical financial practices within organizations to ensure the well-being of employees and the integrity of financial institutions.
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