Travel Startup Stayzilla Co-Founder Arrested

Chennai: The Co-Founder of travel-based startup Stayzilla Yogendra Vasupal was arrested on Tuesday in connection with alleged non-payment of dues filed by a city based advertisement agency.

He was produced before a local magistrate and is currently lodged in the Puzhal jail near the city.

Sanchit Singhi, one of the Co-founders of the startup shared a mail. The mail reads, "Yogendra who is fondly called Yogi, had gone missing since yesterday. We need help. Yogi is missing. Last we think, we know is that he is at the station of Commissioner of Police, Egmore."

In the mail, Singhi claimed that the advertising agency harrassed him and Yogendra through telephone calls stating Stayzilla did not pay the dues.

Two cops from Mylapore Police station in Chennai met Yogi in Bengaluru, Singhi said.

TiE Chennai president

The arrest of Yogesh, Founder of Stayzilla, perfectly shows the stiff resistance that the eco-system is displaying

"He (Yogendra) asked them to leave stating that it is a civil matter and as they have no warrant, he cannot meet them", Singhi said.

Responding to the issue, TiE Chennai, representing the startups in city, said the StartUp ecosystem in Tamil Nadu has taken a hit.

"The arrest of Yogesh, Founder of Stayzilla, perfectly shows the stiff resistance that the eco-system is displaying", TiE Chennai, President, R Narayanan said in a statement.

"The matter is clearly a civil matter but it has been presented as a 'criminal offence'. "We do not know the basis on which this has been categorised as a criminal offence", he added.

Commenting on the incident, Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge said he has taken the issue with his counterpart in Tamil Nadu.