Surat : Parle Software Limited Charged with Rs 1.28 Crore Paper Waste Scam

Surat :  A startling case of embezzlement has come to light as the Surat city police launch an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs 1.28 crore by a company operating under the banner of Pastiwala.com and Parle Software Limited.

The accused are said to have duped Ganesh Waste Collection LLP, a Surat-based paper waste supplier, over the span of a year from 2018 to 2019 under the pretense of purchasing paper waste.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against 10 individuals, including the CEO and directors of Parle Software Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, under sections 420 and 114 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The complainant, Vishal Khatlawala, a partner at Ganesh Waste Collection LLP, has accused Paresh Tulsidas Parekh, Manish Gopalbhai Patel, Manisha Manish Patel, and Vimal Jayantilal Maharajwala, along with six other directors of Parle Software Limited. According to the FIR filed at Pal Police station in Surat, the accused allegedly operated shell companies and deceived Khatwala and his company by falsely claiming to purchase paper waste.

Khatwala’s association with Parle Software Limited dates back to his tenure as a director in Surat Recycling India Private Limited, a company established by Vimal Maharajwala, Paresh Parekh, and Manish Patel between 2013 and 2016. In 2017, Khatwala chose to leave the company to embark on his independent venture with partner Nilesh Kahar.

In 2018, Vimal Maharajwala and his co-accused approached Khatwala, persuading him to engage in business with their new enterprise, Parle Software Limited. The accused, operating with offices in Mumbai and Surat’s Udhana area, allegedly assured Khatwala that regular payments would be made for paper waste supplied by Ganesh Waste Collection LLP. Initially, the accused maintained their promise, promptly disbursing payments within 10 days of receiving supplies.

However, their commitment wavered as they began delaying payments for goods supplied between June 1, 2018, and October 6, 2019, amassing a staggering sum of Rs 1.28 crore. Despite numerous meetings and communications, the accused failed to settle the outstanding dues, raising suspicions of a deliberate attempt to defraud the company.

Disturbingly, sources within the police department reveal that one of Parle Software Limited’s directors, Manish Patel, is also accused of swindling his own brother, Alkesh Patel, in Vadodara, for a sum of Rs 35 lakh. Alkesh Patel registered a case under the Negotiable Instruments Act 138 with the Vadodara police.

The alleged paper waste scam, involving the promoters of Parle Software Limited, is suspected to amount to Rs 70 crore in Surat alone. Sources suggest that the accused employed a consistent modus operandi, initially paying suppliers for a few months to gain trust and subsequently cheating them out of crores of rupees. Across Gujarat, these accused individuals are believed to have duped multiple paper waste suppliers, surpassing a staggering sum of Rs 150 crore.

An FIR has been filed against the accused, and the police are actively pursuing leads to locate and apprehend those involved in this sprawling case of fraud and embezzlement.