IT firm leaves 1,600 techies in the lurch

HYDERABAD: Nearly 1,600 software professionals have been left in the lurch with an IT company shutting its doors here on Saturday without paying them salaries for four months. The employees lodged a complaint with the Madhapur police after learning that the company CEO, Murali Radhakrishna, was absconding. Prodigy Solution, with its headquarters at Madhapur here and branches in Visakhapatnam and Warangal, was inaugurated by IT minister P Lakshmaiah and tribal welfare P Balaraju, about six months ago. The company which boasted of having bagged several international projects employed about 1,600 software engineers.  The state government is learnt to have sanctioned some land at a subsidised rate for the company to expand its unit in Visakhapatnam. But the management has failed undertake expansion. According to the complaint lodged, the employees have not been paid salaries for four months and whenever they demanded salaries, the CEO would promise to clear arrears within a month.  He would tell them that a big project was on the way and he would clear all debts. The employees told the police that Radhakrishna had been absconding for the past couple of days and they learnt that the company was running in losses due to lack of projects.A police team which went to pick up Radhakrishna from his residence in Nagole found that he was at large and launched a hunt for him. A case of cheating has been registered against him.With rumours doing the rounds that the company belongs to a relative of the IT minister, Lakshamaih issued a statement on Saturday asserting that he had no connection with the company.