Corporate espionage has reared its ugly head in the city. On Saturday, the Pune rural police arrested Sachin Kamble, CEO, S Nitriders Company for stealing patented information from his previous employer, Thermotouch Enterprises.

Neelesh Pendharkar, owner of Thermotouch Enterprises, said, his company had developed a specialised physical and chemical process for enhancing the lifespan of ferrous machinery and spares.

Matter of trust
"I had maintained records of the process in 25 files. I had shared the information with Kamble with trust," said Pendharkar.

He added, "As our patent is valid till November 2026, we filed a police complaint of theft and criminal conspiracy against Kamble." When PI Satish Patil arrested Kamble, the patent papers were in his possession. The police have also registered a case against S Nitriders.