Actress and entrepreneur Parul Gulati has alleged that two employees at her Nish Hair store in Bengaluru cheated her business by diverting customer payments into their personal bank accounts.
Parul shared the account on Instagram, saying she spent an entire day at a police station after discovering what she described as a fraud inside the store. According to her, one accused employee has admitted to misappropriating money, while the other is absconding.
Parul says she noticed discrepancies at the store
In a video posted on Instagram, Parul said she had sensed that something was wrong with the Bengaluru outlet but could not immediately identify the issue. The clip carried the text, “Bangalore, you did me dirty.”
She said she began checking the store’s operations after noticing discrepancies. “I was trying to figure out what was going wrong because I knew there was a discrepancy,” she said in the video.
Parul claimed the matter became clearer after she made an unannounced visit to the outlet. She said the sales executive, who had access to the store’s CCTV cameras, called in sick on the same day as her surprise inspection. The store manager, however, reported to work.
Manager allegedly admitted to wrongdoing
During questioning, Parul said, the manager allegedly admitted that he had started the fraud shortly after joining the company. Recalling his words, she said, “All he said was, ‘I started after one month of joining the job.’”
Parul added that it appeared the employee used the first month to understand the store’s functioning before allegedly carrying out the scam.
According to her, the two employees sold Nish Hair products worth between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 a day. She alleged that customers were asked to transfer payment to the employees’ personal bank accounts instead of the company’s official account.
In the video, Parul said the products, packaging and brand name were used to complete sales, but the money did not reach the company. “They sold my product, my packaging, through my name to the customer and then took the whole amount themselves. Toh unhone mujhse bhi churaya hai, aur customers se bhi,” she said.
Alleged loss and missing inventory
Parul claimed the alleged fraud continued for nearly six months. She said the business found missing inventory and financial gaps, and that she currently has proof covering only six months of transactions.
In the caption of her Instagram post, she wrote that she had been scammed and did not know what else to do except warn others. “I got scammed, and I have proof of only 6 months. I don’t know what to do, but all I can do is request that these two never get hired,” she wrote.
She also shared what she described as the extent of the financial loss. “The guy has told me himself, ‘I didn’t do more than 8L,’ and the girl is still on the run,” Parul wrote.
Parul said she was unsure whether the money would be recovered. She added that the two employees had caused serious harm to her business and should not be hired elsewhere.
Warning issued to customers
Along with narrating the incident, Parul asked customers who had shopped at the Bengaluru outlet to check their payment records. She specifically warned those who may have transferred money directly to the accused employees instead of the company account.
She urged buyers to remain careful while making purchases, ask for a proper bill and verify payment details before completing any transaction.
Parul Gulati is known as both an actress and entrepreneur. Her allegation has brought attention to the operational risks small and growing retail businesses can face when customer payments are not closely monitored.
Source: Bollywood Hungama.