Ghaziabad/Noida: In a recent development, the Ghaziabad Police have detained a sales manager from Axis Bank's Noida branch. This arrest is tied to the tragic suicide of Shivani Tyagi, a woman sales executive, according to official reports.

Mohammed Akram, the accused, is currently under police custody. He was taken into custody following allegations linked to the untimely death of Shivani, who was employed at Axis Bank’s circle office in Noida. The authorities are actively interrogating him to uncover more details about the case.

Shivani Tyagi, aged 27, was a dedicated employee at the regional office of Axis Bank in Noida and resided in Ghaziabad. Tragically, she lost her life to poisoning on July 12, a fact confirmed by her grieving family.

The backdrop of this incident involves a distressing workplace environment at the Nandagram branch of Axis Bank, where Shivani worked. She reportedly took her own life due to the adverse behavior of some colleagues. Alongside her tragic decision, Shivani left behind a detailed five-page suicide note. In it, she expressed a poignant request to her relatives to seek justice and hold those responsible accountable for her demise.

Adding to the allegations, Gaurav Tyagi from Hari Nagar in Ghukna has lodged a formal complaint with the local police. He reported that his sister, Shivani, faced continuous harassment at her workplace in the Circle House of Axis Bank, located in Noida Sector 128. This mistreatment spanned the last five to six months, culminating in her heartbreaking decision.

It is alleged that, overwhelmed by continuous criticism and harassment at work, and feeling ignored when she tried to voice her grievances, the girl consumed poison last Friday evening. Following this distressing act, her relatives rushed her to MMG District Hospital. Due to the severity of her condition, she was then referred to GTB Hospital, where the girl died during treatment.

Shivani Tyagi was subjected to both physical and mental harassment by some of her colleagues, as detailed by her brother in the FIR. This claim is supported by a suicide note she purportedly left behind. In connection with these harrowing circumstances, the girl's brother has filed a case against four to five co-workers at Nandagram police station.

According to statements from her family, Shivani had penned a detailed five-page suicide note. This note notably includes the names of all individuals she held accountable. Following the formal complaint lodged by Gaurav Tyagi, legal proceedings have been initiated at Nandgram police station against individuals including Jyoti Chauhan, Mohammad Akram, and Najmush Saqib, among others.

In her suicide note, Shivani recounted a specific incident from June 29, which further exemplifies the ongoing issues she faced. She described how her colleagues, including Jyoti Chauhan, used her workspace for their lunch without her permission. When Shivani protested the lack of respect shown towards her personal space and the mess left behind, she faced verbal abuse and threats. Despite reporting this incident to her superiors, no action was taken.

Shivani's mother claims that her daughter was harassed at the workplace. She expressed concerns about Shivani being particularly targeted by some Muslim colleagues, who would bring non-vegetarian food for lunch and try to coerce her into eating it. Despite her being a vegetarian, Shivani's mother alleged that if Shivani refused, they would go as far as to mix non-vegetarian food into her meals. However, the police have clarified that they do not have any such complaint, nor has this specific allegation surfaced in their investigation thus far.

Shivani began her tenure at Axis House on October 21, 2023. She detailed in her suicide note ongoing troubles with a colleague named Jyoti Chauhan, who, according to Shivani, frequently harassed her. Shivani described Jyoti as being particularly cruel, often mocking her by calling her a "monkey with no brain" due to her being divorced. A significant incident occurred on July 9, when an argument escalated, leading Jyoti to grab and twist Shivani's hand. The pain prompted Shivani to retaliate physically by slapping Jyoti. Subsequently, an internal investigation was carried out, during which eyewitnesses reported that Shivani slapped her first. Shivani wrote of the emotional and physical toll these events had taken on her, confessing in her note that she "is unable to bear the pain as she has been suffering for the last six months".

In a heart-wrenching conclusion to her note, Shivani expressed her despair: "I am so disturbed now that I am stopping my life right here, only and only because of these people. I want that if the law is true then all of them should be punished in such a way that they cannot take away someone else's life again." She explicitly named the accused in her note, blaming them directly: "All of them have forced me to die. I am committing suicide because of these people."

In a recent disclosure, Axis Bank clarified the employment status of the deceased executive, stating, "the executive worked for a third party company Quess Corp hired by it."

Further developments were revealed in a police statement dated Thursday: "On July 14, plaintiff Gaurav Tyagi informed police his sister, fed up with the harassment at her job, committed suicide," according to the Ghaziabad Police. Gaurav Tyagi shared distressing details of his sister's final days at work. He reported that "she was asked for a resignation letter by the company, but her resignation letter was not accepted by the bank, rather she was wrongly terminated. Due to torture, my sister committed suicide," the police conveyed.

Post the complaint, an FIR was promptly filed at the Nandgram police station. Subsequent to this, bank officials were brought in for questioning, and the CCTV footage of the premises was analysed. ACP Nandgram Ravi Kumar Singh provided further insights into the investigation. He confirmed that Mohammad Akram, a resident of Mainather, Moradabad, who served as a sales manager and was Shivani's closest superior and team leader, has been taken into custody.

The circumstances leading to Shivani's termination were also highlighted in the police's account: "Accused Mohammed Akram has been arrested. Akram, who is the sales manager in the bank, was the nearest superior of Shivani Tyagi and was the team leader. He did not accept her resignation letter but under the influence of other accused Jyoti Chauhan, got Shivani terminated, because of which she became depressed and committed suicide," the police elaborated.

Meanwhile, Quess Corp, the third-party company that employed Shivani Tyagi on behalf of Axis Bank, expressed its condolences: "deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident" involving Shivani Tyagi and "regret the loss experienced by her family."

The company outlined its operational role: "As a staffing services provider, we supply manpower to various organisations across sectors at customer premises. The employees deployed at these sites work under client instructions and mandates. Quess' role is limited to hiring, training, and deploying resources according to project requirements," it stated. Quess Corp also mentioned its cooperation with the ongoing investigation, indicating its readiness to "work with the authorities and will share any records of resources hired by it as required by them and support the investigation." Additionally, the statement confirmed, "As per our knowledge, authorities have taken custody of employees who have been named in the suicide note, including the bank's core employees for further investigation."

On a related note, Axis Bank reiterated its position on Wednesday, expressing sorrow over the incident but clarifying Shivani's employment status: "deeply saddened" by the unfortunate incident yet highlighting that "she was not an employee of the bank." They provided additional details about internal procedures: "She was an employee of QUESS Corp Limited. From a preliminary review of the incident, we understand that there was a significant disagreement between the executive and another QUESS Corp employee at our Noida office. She was under investigation by QUESS Corp and was issued a show-cause notice on July 10 and disciplinary action was taken by QUESS Corp," Axis Bank elaborated.