Infosys Techie’s Father Says She Was Harassed by Senior Colleague

She had complained about the guard’s “advances” to the company, but no action had been taken, says her family.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Altered by The Quint)

The father of K Rasila Raju, the Infosys software engineer, who was murdered at her office in Pune by a security guard, alleged she was facing constant harassment from a senior colleague and demanded a thorough police investigation into the case.

A former army officer, Raju O told media persons that she had complained to her family about the alleged pestering by a superior and she was very disturbed about it, compelling her to seek a transfer to Bengaluru.

He said it was strange how the accused security guard – Bhaben Saikia – managed to enter the office room where she worked though it was access-controlled.

Firstly, she was called on Sunday, her weekly off. Then there was not adequate security or a female security guard, though she was working alone on that floor.

He added that he was very happy that she had got a job at Infosys, but she was not happy in Pune. She wanted to move to Bangalore, which was closer to her home in Kerala.

The 23-year-old techie had complained about the accused security guard’s “advances” to the company but no action had been taken against him, her family member had alleged.

She was allegedly strangulated with a computer cable by the guard, Bhaben Saikia, after she chided him for staring at her.

Her body was found in a conference room on the 9th floor of the Infosys building in Phase II of Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park at Pune.

We will file a complaint for a detailed inquiry into Rasila’s death. Earlier, while making calls here she had mentioned about the same security guard making advances towards her. Though she had complained to the company officials no action had been taken.

Manoj, Rasila’s maternal uncle

Her death has come as a shock to her family which was making arrangements for her marriage.

"It is a rude shock for us. Rasila had made a call to her stepmother about 2.30 pm yesterday and was speaking casually," Manoj said.

Her father, who works as a Home Guard with Kunnamangalam police station, left for Pune along with some relatives on Monday morning after intimation from her office on Sunday night that Rasila had “a medical emergency”.

Her relatives enquired with their contacts at Pune and got to know what had happened to her.

Saikia, a security guard from Terrier Security Services deployed at the campus, has been remanded in police custody till 4 February after police nabbed him at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.

Meanwhile the company expressed shock over the alleged murder.

We are saddened and shocked at this unfortunate incident and the loss of our colleague (K. Rasila Raju). Our prayers and sympathies are with our employee’s family and friends.

Although the IT major declined to share details of the employee and the gruesome incident with the media, it said: "We are focused on assisting police in their investigation and providing all possible support to her family."

According to Ganesh Shinde, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-Hinjewadi, Pune, the suspect guard entered the company's ninth floor office building in the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park at Hinjewadi around 5 pm, and allegedly strangled her with a computer cord when she was working on a project, though it was her weekly off.

The CCTV footage on the ninth floor showed that Rasila entered the room around 3:05 pm, came out for a break around 5 pm and later Saikia followed her into the office, though he was not authorised to enter that area.

Rasila is the company's second victim of a murder seven months after another woman techie Swathi S, 24, was hacked to death allegedly by her stalker Ram Kumar at a suburban railway station in Chennai, when she was on way to office by a local train.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)