Bose’s removal from her position in May 2022 by the Singapore-based B2B fashion startup, citing alleged financial irregularities, set the stage for this legal confrontation. The complaint, spanning six pages and reviewed, alleges that Kapoor and Vaidya engaged in misleading practices, seeking financial gain at her expense. Bose claims they coerced her into relinquishing her shares and business under false pretenses, TOI report stated.
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“This behavior,” Bose stated, “has been ongoing from April 2020 through 2022.” She accuses Vaidya of misconduct as the chief operating officer, attributing loss-making deals to her falsely and extending trade credit to various parties in her name. Bose asserts that Vaidya then leveraged these deals to falsely implicate her to investors, despite his sole responsibility for operational dealings in her previous company.
“I have been threatened, deceived, and had errors attributed to me,” Bose remarked, “for Vaidya to fraudulently acquire my shares, valued at multiple crores.” She further accuses Kapoor and Vaidya of being “sneaky and shady” by withholding company-related data and information, impeding informed decisions and effective collaboration. Additionally, both Kapoor and Vaidya intentionally skipped Kroll meetings, further complicating matters for Bose and disrupting the team.
Bose additionally alleges that the duo employed offensive language, sent sexually explicit messages from untraceable accounts, and threatened her with online targeting, suggesting they would push her to a point of suicidal thoughts.
Moreover, Bose’s complaint implicates Kapoor in sexual harassment. She contends that during a private meeting, Kapoor crossed boundaries by persistently attempting to initiate a non-consensual and unprofessional sexual relationship.Zilingo had enlisted Kroll and Deloitte for a forensic audit to investigate complaints against Bose. However, Kapoor and Vaidya have not responded to messages seeking their comments on the allegations. Singhania & Co, representing Bose, confirmed the filing of the complaint.Bose, who co-founded Zilingo with Kapoor in 2015, was celebrated as one of the most prominent startup founders. However, her tenure as CEO came under scrutiny, leading to her suspension by the board and the appointment of an independent forensics firm to probe the alleged financial irregularities.