Pune: MIT Engineering College Systems Down For Three Days After Employee Allegedly Disrupts Network Over Salary Dispute
Pune: MIT Engineering College Systems Down For Three Days After Employee Allegedly Disrupts Network Over Salary Dispute
Pune, January 12, 2026:Operations at the MIT Academy of Engineering (MITAOE) in Alandi were severely disrupted for more than 72 hours after the institution’s internal digital system reportedly collapsed due to alleged sabotage by an employee following a salary-related dispute.
According to police and college sources, the system stopped functioning on Friday morning, bringing day-to-day administrative activities to a standstill. The college is heavily reliant on its internal network for academic scheduling, fee transactions, and routine administrative processes, all of which were affected due to the outage.
An internal inquiry conducted by the college management indicated that the disruption was allegedly caused by an employee entrusted with the maintenance and management of the system. When approached to resolve the issue, the employee reportedly admitted to interfering with the system and allegedly stated that the problem would be addressed only after his demands were met.
As the system remained non-functional even after three days, the college management approached the police. Executive Director Mahesh Devendra Gauda (60), a resident of Wagholi, lodged a formal complaint at Dighi Police Station. Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against Milind Govind Asmar (57), a resident of Kothrud.
Police have invoked relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to criminal breach of trust, mischief, and criminal intimidation, along with applicable provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Senior Police Inspector Pramod Wagh of Dighi Police Station said the accused had sought a salary hike around three months ago, which was declined by the institution. “As per the college’s statement, he stopped reporting to work after his demand was rejected. Recently, he again demanded payment of his pending salary for the last three months, which was also refused,” Wagh said.
Following this, the accused allegedly tampered with the system, causing widespread disruption. “He claims he can restore the system but has not cooperated with either the college authorities or the investigation. A case was registered on Friday night, and efforts are on to trace him. He has not been detained so far,” the officer added.
Sources within the college administration said the accused is due to retire in about three months and has continued to insist on settlement of his salary demands. Meanwhile, Police Inspector (Crime) Vinayak Patil is conducting further investigation into the matter.
As of Sunday evening, the college’s system had still not been fully restored, continuing to impact academic and administrative functioning.
