
Ankiti Bose, the co-founder and former CEO of fashion e-commerce startup Zilingo, has filed a criminal complaint against her fellow co-founder Dhruv Kapoor and former Chief Operating Officer (COO) Aadi Vaidya. Bose has pressed charges of cheating, criminal intimidation, conspiracy, and harassment in her complaint.
Zilingo is a technology and commerce platform which was founded in 2015 by Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor, and has operations spanning Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Australia and the United States.
Allegations of Misconduct and Deception
In her complaint, Bose alleges that Kapoor and Vaidya misled her and Zilingo’s investors in an attempt to gain financial advantages. She claims that they coerced her into giving up shares and business under false pretenses. Bose also accuses Vaidya of engaging in misconduct by falsely attributing loss-making deals to her and extending trade credit to various parties in her name. She further alleges that Vaidya used these deals to threaten her by falsely implicating her to investors.
Response from Dhruv Kapoor and Aadi Vaidya
Dhruv Kapoor has denied the allegations made by Ankiti Bose, stating that they are baseless, untrue, and malicious. He claims that a thorough investigation has already proven Bose’s wrongdoing, which led to her termination from the company. Kapoor believes that Bose’s actions are retaliatory in nature. Aadi Vaidya has also denied the allegations, calling them a clear afterthought with a malicious intention to harm his reputation and harass him.
Background and Termination of Ankiti Bose
Ankiti Bose co-founded Zilingo with Dhruv Kapoor in 2015. The company’s valuation reportedly surged to ₹7,000 crore in 2019. However, in 2022, Bose was fired by the Zilingo board following an investigation into alleged financial irregularities conducted by Kroll. The company stated that the investigation revealed serious financial irregularities, leading to Bose’s termination with cause. The company also reserved the right to pursue appropriate legal action.