Work-from-Home Betrayal: Gujarat Techie Steals Data to Launch Rival Firm
In a shock-horror breach of trust, one of Gujarat-based IT professionals, Manish Bharadwa, used his work-from-home (WFH) to steal sensitive company data to set up a competitor company with a previous co-worker, leading to the question of security breaches while working remotely. Bharadwa was arrested on August 2, 2025, by Jamnagar cybercrime police as he copied a proprietary source code, customer records, and design formula on the company-issued system, according to the Times of India. This event in the tech capital of Gujarat—Jamnagar—illustrates the danger of WFH in the twenty billion dollar Indian tech market (NASSCOM, 2025).
Six months back, Bharadwa had requested and been given remote access on the basis of personal reasons and his planned relocation to Vadodara. He stole insider information on the specialized banking software designed to serve the hearing-impaired used by SNTG, and in collaboration with a former employee, he is also accused of setting up a competing company using the names of his wives. The violation came up in an internal audit; dispensation of information through an external connection device and proxy server indicated continuing abuse as indicated by Inspector I. A. Ghasura. Bharadwa is accused of violating Section 316(6) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which is a criminal breach of trust, and provisions of the IT Act.
The case is similar to a 2023 Bengaluru case in which a company owner had siphoned off projects worth Rs 77 lakh once he had moved to the competition, according to Moneycontrol. Gujarat, with 150,000 IT professionals (Gujarat IT Association, 2024), also has a post-COVID strong reliance on WFH, with 60 percent of companies adopting it, according to Deloitte. Nevertheless, these vulnerabilities are presented in the guise of lax supervision, which led Bharadwa to deliver his system back without inspection. Such X postings, as that of @timesofindia, echo the anger of the masses, with users asking that WFH rules be tightened.
Unique Insights: The episode highlights a paradigm change of trust where 40 percent of Indian companies experience data breaches by remote workers (PWC, 2024). Small companies such as SNTG with a workforce of 40 are especially vulnerable as they do not have strong cybersecurity. In the industrial corridor of Gujarat, where tech startups expanded by 15 percent last year (IBEF), this may drive away investments unless a regulatory framework is established.
Prevention Tips:
- The employer must apply system audit and VPN monitoring programs periodically.
- Monitor the usage of data through encryption and logs.
- Employees will be asked to engage in a non-disclosure agreement cryptically.
This case suggests a necessity of new WFH models within the technological realm of India that would provide a combination of flexibility and stability in order to secure innovation.
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