A security guard was arrested for allegedly killing a 23-year-old woman IT professional working at software major Infosys at the company's Hinjewadi campus here, police said today.
Rasila Raju OP was found dead in a conference room on the 9th floor of the Infosys building in Phase II of Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park last evening. The systems engineer, who hailed from Kozhikode district of Kerala, had allegedly been strangulated with a computer cable.
A local court remanded the accused Bhaben Saikia, a security guard from Terrier Security Services deployed at the campus, in police custody till February 4 after police nabbed him at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai.
An officer from Hinjewadi police station said Saikia, hailing from Assam, told police during questioning that on Saturday Rasila had chided him for 'staring' at her, and threatened to complain.
"Rasila came to the office at 2 pm on Sunday and was working in a section on the ninth floor while her two teammates were working online (with her) from Bangalore," said deputy commissioner of police Ganesh Shinde at a press conference today.
The accused entered the section on the pretext of noting down serial numbers of some computers. "He then asked her not to complain against him for his actions, however, she refused," Shinde said.
Rasila then went into the conference room. Saikia followed her, and strangled her using a computer cable and then kicked her in the face, the DCP said.
"The accused stayed on the company premises till his duty ended and later fled to Mumbai from where he was planning to board an Assam-bound train," the officer added.
"From the CCTV footage of the section, we found that
there was nobody there except the accused. We started tracing his location and formed six teams to nab him," said the DCP.
Police tracked Saikia down to the train terminus in Mumbai in the wee hours today and arrested him.
ACP Vaishali Jadhav-Mane had told
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Meanwhile, Pune police commissioner Rashmi Shukla said she would be writing to Infosys, seeking explanations on security measures.
"There are several questions...Why there was only one female employee on the entire floor and why only one girl was asked to do duty on Sunday and that too between 2 and 11 pm.
"There were CCTV cameras, however, my question is who was monitoring it. If somebody had been monitoring it, it could have been noticed that a person was coming and going in that section where the girl was working alone," she said.
"This is very serious. If the girl is working alone on the floor, there could have been an emergency, there could have been a fire, she could fall sick," she said.
"I am going to call a meeting of all the senior officials and security heads of all IT and ITES companies in Pune as the incident has left me angry," the Commissioner said, also recalling earlier incidents including the Antara Das murder.
DCP Shinde too said the police would soon undertake a sensitisation campaign on women's safety across the companies.
Victim's father Raju O, who arrived today to collect his daughter's body, said he was going to file a case against the company for the security lapse. "When a female employee was working alone on the floor, why there was no female security guard on the floor and why the main head of the security allowed the accused to go on the floor," he asked.
A statement from Infosys earlier today said the company was assisting police with investigation.
Pune has emerged as an IT hub in the last some years with over 400 companies having their centres here.
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In a revised statement issued late in the evening, Infosys said it was seeking recommendations and suggestions from different stakeholders on how to strengthen the safety of employees.
"We have a common safety helpline across all our development centers that are manned 24X7. In addition, we have an Infosys Emergency App," it said.
"Entry to campuses is strictly monitored and there is a security presence at each of our buildings. A safety committee in each of our development centres reviews safety measures at campuses periodically," the statement said.
There were mandatory background checks for vendor employees, sub-contractors, etc. Further, employees are given safety tips and self-defence program/sessions are conducted, it said.
The firm said it encourages "employees to leave campus latest before 8 PM.
