Nish Hair Founder Alleges ₹8 Lakh Store Scam, Shares Employee Confession in a Video

Actor, entrepreneur and Nish Hair founder Parul Gulati has shared a detailed account of an alleged internal fraud at her Bengaluru retail store, revealing how two employees allegedly siphoned customer payments into their personal accounts over several months. In a viral video posted on Instagram, Gulati said she spent an entire day at a Bengaluru police station after uncovering what she described as one of the biggest operational shocks since starting the company.

What Happened?

According to Gulati, the alleged fraud came to light after inventory audits revealed major discrepancies between physical stock and Shopify records.

She explained that her team initially struggled to identify the source of the mismatch because the store handled nearly 12,000 units, making it difficult to immediately detect missing inventory.

The breakthrough reportedly came after Gulati personally examined evidence and questioned one of the employees.

Employee Allegedly Confessed

In the video, Gulati claims one employee admitted to beginning the scheme roughly one month after joining the company, allegedly spending the initial weeks understanding how the business operated before exploiting weaknesses in its inventory and payment systems.

According to Gulati, the two employees allegedly sold Nish Hair products at full price while asking customers to transfer payments directly into their personal bank accounts instead of the company’s official payment channels.

She further alleged that the products, packaging and branding all belonged to Nish Hair, but the money never reached the business.

Estimated Losses Crossed ₹8 Lakh

Sharing the alleged scale of the fraud, Gulati wrote that she currently has proof covering around six months, estimating losses at over ₹8 lakh.

She added that one of the accused allegedly admitted the amount involved, while the second employee is reportedly untraceable.

Gulati also expressed doubts about recovering the money, saying her immediate priority was ensuring the individuals were not hired elsewhere without employers knowing about the allegations.

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Advice to Customers

The Nish Hair founder also issued a public advisory for customers.

She urged buyers to always insist on official bills and make payments only through verified company payment links or QR codes, rather than transferring money directly to store employees or accepting cash transactions without receipts.

A Reminder for Growing D2C Brands

Beyond the allegations themselves, the incident highlights a growing operational challenge for India’s rapidly expanding direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands.

As businesses scale offline retail operations, maintaining strong inventory controls, payment verification systems and regular audits becomes increasingly important. Even small discrepancies can remain unnoticed for months when stores manage thousands of products.

While police investigations are now underway, Gulati’s video has sparked wider conversations among entrepreneurs about internal controls, employee trust and retail fraud.

The allegations shared by Parul Gulati are based on her public statements and social media posts. The matter is currently under investigation, and no court has determined criminal liability.