Ranjit Mahanti
ONE of the top dealers of Microsoft Windows-10 Licenses in Mumbai, Techigent Technologies Private Limited (part of Om Sai Group of companies) is in trouble. A complaint has been filed against several authorities that Anil Tiwari, owner of Techigent Technologies Pvt. Ltd smuggles and sells pirated versions of Microsoft Windows – 10 Licences to top corporates and companies across Mumbai.
On January 3, 2020, Avdhesh Mishra has complained (copy available with ABI) against Anil Tiwari, Sunita Tiwari, Manoj Tiwari, Pravin Tiwari and Kavita Pandey-directors, COO and Co-ordinator of the company Techigent Technologies Private Limited – having their office at V-Mall, Thakur Complex, Kandivali (East), Mumbai. Avdhesh Mishra happens to be a brother-in-law of Anil Tiwari and also an ex-employee of the company.
Avdhesh Mishra told ABI that Anil Tiwari often visits USA and China from where he smuggles Microsoft Windows-10 (Key) Licenses and sells to corporate companies in Mumbai. Mishra claims that few employees of Microsoft India (one Vikram Shrivastav) are also involved in this act, and they are in connivance with Anil Tiwari. A person called Ravi also supplies pirated Windows-10 licenses to Anil Tiwari. Ravi lives near Film City Road, Goregaon. Anil Tiwari visits Ravi regularly, and Ravi puts Microsoft Windows-10 licenses in bucket and hangs the bucket lower from the balcony of his flat. Anil Tiwari takes licenses from the bucket and moves on. Anil Tiwari sells these licenses (Key) to India Bulls, Neel Kamal Industries, DHFL, DCB Bank, ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Future Group, Bombay Dyeing, Kotak Securities, Kores India, Professional Tech, Bhakti Vedanta, Sai Service, Piramal, East Zone-Central Government, BEC Chemical, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (advocates and solicitors), Training Regiment, Nesco Limited, 91 Streets Limited, Secure Value, NSE, VFS Global and Kare Enterprise as well as more than 100 corporates companies and earns crore of rupees. Last year Anil Tiwari sold around 250 licenses to Swatantra Finance Company owned by Birla. Among 250 computers he supplied only 50 original licenses, and the remaining 200 licenses were pirated versions.
Every year, Anil Tiwari organises a party at Sun and Sand Hotel, Juhu for purchase representatives of these Corporate Companies (clients) where he arranges performances by exotic Russian dancers. In one of such parties, Anil Tiwari has claimed that his Company Techigent Technologies Private Limited (Om Sai Group of companies) has a turnover of Rs 400 crores.
“Around 80 percent of Microsoft Windows used by Corporates in India are pirated versions and only 20 percent licenses would be genuine” claimed a Microsoft Window License expert.
On being asked for his side of these allegations Anil Tiwari said, “All these allegations are false and baseless. They are done with the wrong intention purposely by few of our business rivals with the help of few of our family members.” However Anil Tiwari has failed to address specific instances of wrong doing that were alleged by his brother-in-law Avdhesh Mishra.