I had started working online as an academic content writer at an institute in Bangalore in August, 2021. Note that i am not a resident of Bangalore but live in Kolkata and did WFH. The offer letter was sent and salary decided at 10,000 INR per month. All communications between me and the institute, regarding leaves, salary appraisal and projects, was done via my supervisor. in December, 2021, my salary was increased to 12,000 INR per month, which my supervisor informed me about over text. The last salary i got was for the month of February, 2022, after which my supervisor said that the institute has lost all my banking details. I provided the same but did not recieve any salary for March, April, May and June. they kept telling me that the salary was being processed, and made me work for four months on promise of due salaries. In July i stopped submitting any work and asked for salary. This went on till September end and in October, my supervisor calls me and tells me that she has quit her job at the institute and the institute has shut down without informing me or paying my dues. When i asked for my salary, which amounts to more than 40000 by then, she blamed me for not being professional and doing delays in work submission, and told me to write an email to the company. Then, on text, she simply said that i wouldnt have worked for all these months if salary was not paid, essentially implying that the salary was paid in full and that i was lying. Note that this person was, for more than six months, claiming that salary will be paid. When i threatened to sue the institute, she said "go ahead" and cut the call. Later that night, i checked the institute website but it wasnt working. Since then, I havent been able to reach anyone from the company. the supervisor is a professor in a reputed university in Bangalore and i'm pretty sure that it wasnt an impersonator who defrauded me as the phone number and email ID checks out. Should i file an FIR for fraud and cheating against this person? I have already approached the state labour commissioner in Kolkata but to no avail as it falls outside their jurisdiction.
