Arrested Stayzilla CEO Yogendra Vasupal alleges police harassment, death threats, false cases

What Start Up India?

Yogendra Vasupal Stayzilla CEO

"...We all want India to Start-up and Stand-up, the regulatory framework + corruption does not let one pick up after they fall. Instead it works overtime to bury them."

These are the words of an aggrieved start-up executive, the chief executive officer of Stayzilla, who was arrested recently. Stayzilla recently shut shop to review its business model. In a pre-written post on Medium.com, published by his wife after his arrest, Vasupal made public with video and audio evidence of several incidents - the harassment that he, his co-founder Sachit Singhi, and his employees have faced over the months. 

While the employees of his company, including a staff member of the Admin department was assaulted (video in the Medium.com post) by a local MLA who is also the landlord of their Bengaluru office, there were complaints that the politician used to pass lewd comments at women taking a smoke break in the dedicated smoking zone of the building. 

Yogendra Vasupal

"He assaulted my admin staff in front of me threatening to kill him with the revolver in his car. After this assault I got to know from my admin team that he has been a regular source of trouble for them with him insulting and accosting them at every turn. In fact the smoking area in the company was moved from the ground floor (adjacent to the bike park) to the terrace because he used to pass comments on any women staff who took their breaks there.

Assault by local MLA on Stayzilla's admin staff caught on CCTV camera. Courtesy Yogendra Vasupal's Medium.com post.

He further said that he went to the Police to file a case on the same night but he was sent away only with a promise that the complaint would be heard by a senior officer later. On the next day, a FIR was registered only after Vasupal cajoled the inspector saying he had video and audio evidence and that the media was getting interested in the case. 

Yogendra Vasupal

We went the next day in the morning at 9:30 am. We got an FIR filed by 2pm after various officers got to know that I had video evidence of the assault and that the media had started getting interested in it. I assured them that I am after justice and not revenge and that if an FIR was filed, I would like to quietly have the matter resolved by them while me and my team were protected.

However, soon after the FIR was filed, the local politician was in the Stayzilla office with his many men paroling the area around the office on bikes and on foot. He had to call in the help of the police and yet the MLA only left after 2.5 hours. 

Yogendra Vasupal

When I got to the office I found 10 Policemen there to protect. ~4 of them inside with the land lord, remaining outside. The Landlord was comfortably seated and the policemen were pleading with him to leave the premises, which he did after 2 & 1/2 hours of cajoling.

Case 2:

A media agency that had alleged "deficiency of services" where Vasupal had asked the company to take the matter up in court. Despite this, "Almost a month later, on March 9th, 2 policemen in Bangalore came home in mufti and stated that I am wanted in the station for questioning," he said. 

Yogendra Vasupal

I was told that there is a case against me by somebody from Chennai for cheating, intimidation and etc. I recognized the name of the complainant and informed them that there was a dispute between 2 companies and we had asked the other company to take it up in the court. I don’t personally owe anybody money and I am wondering how can they get confused on such a basic matter as this was a clear civil case.

Yogendra Vasupal

The Inspector then lay down the line stating that sending mufti policemen was the first way, the second way was that they will file an FIR and send uniformed policemen and have me arrested and jailed.

He claimed he was being misled by the cops. 

 

I learnt that the Inspector from the Chennai police station was there at the Bangalore station and was the source of the complaint. I was shocked. Just the previous night my Lawyer had stated to me that he had met the Chennai Inspector over the weekend and that he had guided my lawyer to respond to the false complaint first and then provide our complaint on the threats and harassment from the owners of the media agency.

 

That’s when I realized that things are not neutral as the Inspector had communicated one thing to my lawyer while doing something else and was acting in bad faith.

 

On Sunday, I got to know that the complaint filed against us had false accusations like Sachit going to the vendor’s office to threaten with 2 henchmen of some MLA. That I used to call him and threaten him of dire consequences if he pursued the matter. I laughed and said I had never spoke to him and would love for him to get any call records proving the same. And that Sachit was the one who was threatened by people visiting office and on call.

Threats to co-founder Sachit Singhi

According to Vasupal, his co-founder Singhi, received a box with a black magic doll along with a photograph of his son in it. 

 

Sachit also got some doll delivered to his home on March 9th with the image of his son. We are still figuring out what this means.

 

Black magic doll along with co-founder Sachit Singhi's son's photograph received by the family. Courtesy: Vasupal's Medium.com post

At the end of his post, his wife, Rupal Yogendra, who had published the post, wrote:

"Yogendra has currently been remanded in Police custody.

He was taken to the magistrate at 10.00 PM though courts do not function after 6 PM. His whereabouts from when the cops took him into custody today from 11.am to 6.00pm where not known and the lawyer and our family had to go from one station to another looking for him. This shows how money and influence can supercede true and thorough investigation in a country which talks so much about start-ups and culture."