Notably, an unsubstantiated audiotape of Grover purportedly insulting a Kotak Mahindra Bank staffer over the non-allocation of shares in Nykaa went viral on Tuesday night.
Ashneer Grover, CEO of BharatPe, has stated that he is being targeted by Twitter scammers and that the tape circulating on social media reportedly portraying Grover and a family member screaming insults at a Kotak Group employee is a hoax.
“Folks. Relax! It’s a FAKE recording from a scammer attempting to extort money (US$ 240K in bitcoins). I refused to give in. I’m more interesting. “And the Internet is full of scammers:) (sic),” Grover tweeted. He also shared a few email exchanges between himself and a startup marketer going by the handle UnicornBaba, with the latter requesting $200,000 for BharatPe’s promotion and marketing charges.
“You can easily foresee 800-1000 potential startup deals in two years.” In addition, I will assist you in developing an image-building plan that will alter the narrative. And deliver 20-25 positive shoutouts and PR plus in the same period,” according to the email supplied by Grover, which was authored by the marketing business.
Grover has written to the marketing firm’s proprietor, who is headquartered in Singapore, according to his Twitter credentials, and asked him to remove the audio clip, claiming it is extortion. “Please see the (the other person in your fake audio) at our office yesterday to exchange greetings for the new year (along with a hearty laugh on your fake tape) and agree on joint legal action if you misbehave here.” Please also stop distributing these phone audio/memes to our investors. Grover’s email stated, “We don’t comprehend your agenda.”
Notably, an unsubstantiated audiotape of Grover purportedly cursing a Kotak Group employee over the non-allocation of shares in Nykaa went viral on Tuesday night. An unidentified user posted the viral audio along with the tweet “how rich founders treat poor bank employees.” A few journalists were also tagged by the handle.
The tweet generated a massive debate over the work culture/ethics in Indian businesses that have received aggressive funding in recent years. Grover is well-known in the startup community for his outspokenness, and he publicly chastised Vijay Shekhar Sharma for overpricing the Paytm IPO. Grover is also a panelist on Shark Tank India, a reality TV show that connects creators and invests in fledgling businesses.
