Ex-Paytm Executive Sonia Dhawan, Accused Of Stealing Private Data, Back At Vijay Shekhar's Firm

Ex-Paytm executive Sonia Dhawan, who was prime accused in an alleged extortion case involving the firm's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, has rejoined the Alibaba-backed digital wallet firm.

Sonia Dhawan was arrested on October 22, 2018 after Sharma lodged an FIR against her. (Getty Image)

New Delhi: Ex-Paytm executive Sonia Dhawan, who was prime accused in an alleged extortion case involving the firm's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, has rejoined the Alibaba-backed digital wallet firm. Company sources confirmed to IANS on Friday that Dhawan is joining Paytm's gaming platform "First Games" as Vice President of Corporate Communication which is a joint venture between Alibaba's AGTech and Paytm's parent company One97 Communications. She was earlier working at women-only social community platform SHEROES. Earlier called Gamepind, "First Games" offers social and casual games. Last year, the platform received an investment of $16 million from One97 Communications and AGTech to expand its operations. Dhawan spent five months in jail along with her husband Rupak Jain after Senior Vice President Ajay Shekhar Sharma, brother of Vijay Shekhar, lodged an FIR against her. In March, there were reports that Dhawan was rejoining Paytm and she was seen stepping out of the office with Paytm Vice President Sudhanshu Gupta at Noida Sector-5. Dhawan worked with Paytm for over eight years. She was arrested on October 22, 2018 after Sharma lodged an FIR against her, her husband and other Paytm employees, including Rohit Chomwal, for stealing private data and trying to extort Rs 10 crore from Sharma. Soon after her arrest, Dhawan's lawyer had alleged that the promoters of Paytm were pressuring her to sell her stake in the company and that she had been framed. Incidentally, the then Station House Officer (SHO), Manoj Pant of Sector-20 Police Station in Noida, probing the case was arrested along with two other journalists for allegedly extorting money from a city-based businessman. Some other policemen were later also suspended. Pant was also the investigating officer in the Paytm case, IANS had earlier reported. Dhawan, in her plea before the high court, claimed innocence and stressed that nothing concrete was emerging against her.