3 Telugu Bizmen Suresh Doki, Kalyan Pathuri and Naveen Doki Served Notice Over Salary Dues

According to them, trouble started after Akvarr was acquired by Futuris in October 2021, and the 60-odd staff — working remotely from across the US — were merged with the parent firm.

The majority of these employees migrated to America over 15 years ago and belong to different Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. Employees claim that each of them has anywhere between $30,000 (₹25 lakh approx) and $250,000 (₹2.1 crore approx) pending with the trio.

This “breach of the terms of employment,” the notice states, is a direct violation of the MD Wage Payment and Collection Law, which “safeguards the rights of employees to timely and fair payment of wages” in the state of Maryland. Such a violation of the statute can make Akvarr liable to pay three times the wages owed to its employees, the notice adds.

“As per the payroll, we were given an annual salary of $100,000 (₹84 lakh approx). The rest of the amount, close to $75,000 (₹62.7 lakh approx), was contractual. This meant that it would either be paid quarterly or could be accumulated and withdrawn as a lump sum as and when the employee wanted,” said a 47-year-old programme analyst who has worked with the company for 13 years.

The analyst added: “Our accumulated salary since October 2021 was pending, then in June this year, even the regular salaries of staff were discontinued.”

Apart from resulting in financial crises, the non-payment of dues has left many employees running the risk of losing their H1B visa status and being deported to India. Some of them told TOI that they are struggling to find employment to keep their visas ‘active’ due to stringent H1B visa regulations.

“It took us time to realise we were being deceived. I have been defrauded of $130,000 (Rs 1.09 crore). We worked in small, remote teams, so we didn’t know each other well. Every time we asked about our accumulated payments, we were told it would be paid next month. When the monthly salaries also stopped, I learned from my team that this was part of a larger scam,” said another a 41-year-old employee who has worked with the firm for six years.

Employees are also facing difficulties moving to other companies due to stringent H1B visa regulations. “Many of us have been grappling with this issue for over three years, but we could not leave this job due to H1B visa regulations that bind us to our current employer, making it extremely difficult to switch jobs,” said an employee from North Carolina. He claimed that the company deducted about $6,500 (Rs 5.4 lakh) from the staff’s salaries for H1B charges, which are usually covered by the employer.

According to the employees, the management has completely abandoned them and is paying no heed to their repeated emails and calls.

“Since June, my healthcare coverage for myself and my child has been terminated. I am at risk of losing my house, car, and life in the US after 19 years here. I may have to start all over again in India or another country, which would cause immense disruption and stress for my family,” said a 43-year-old software developer who has been with the company for over a decade.

When TOI reached out to the management, it stated that Akvarr — which was acquired by Futuris in 2021 — has now been sold to a third party. “Since June 1, the company has been acquired by a third-party firm, which took over all assets and employees.

However, the new company has refused to retain the employees.” When questioned about releasing the accumulated salaries of its former employees the company spokesperson claimed that releasing those funds was always at the discretion of the firm and depended on the company’s profitability.

“Unfortunately, Akvarr exited its staffing business at a loss and therefore has ceased business,” the company communicated in a statement.