The Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Chennai has issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Vipul Joshi, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of ideaForge Technology Limited, for his failure to appear in court and deposit the required bail amount.
The warrant is linked to a case initiated on August 31, 2023, by the Chennai Cyber Crime Police. The complaint alleges that ideaForge supplied 15 drones valued at Rs 2.2 crore to a client, only to later hack and disable the drones, causing significant reputational harm and impacting the client’s government projects valued at Rs 70 crore.
The court previously mandated that all accused, including CEO Ankit Mehta, Director Rahul Singh, General Manager Somil Gautam, and CFO Vipul Joshi, appear by April 1, 2025, and provide a bail amount of Rs 25,000 along with two valid sureties each. However, during a recent hearing, it was revealed that the accused had submitted fake sureties—individuals unconnected to the company and unaware of the case details.
“The accused were instructed on March 4, 2025, to comply with the bail conditions by April 1. While CFO Vipul Joshi did not appear, the others presented individuals who did not even know the company’s name,” stated the court.
The judiciary deemed this behaviour an attempt to mislead the court, labeling it a serious offense. The court warned that any future use of fraudulent sureties could lead to imprisonment for those involved.
Despite these violations, the court has provided the accused with a final opportunity to submit the bail bond by April 4.
Previously, ideaForge had sought to quash the charges against them in the Madras High Court, but their request was denied on January 31. A subsequent plea to halt the proceedings at the Supreme Court was also dismissed.
