Sweta Choudhury was job hunting — a fresher trying to break into the media industry. Pranav Prasoon, associated with Techsurge Learning, an e-learning startup from Assam, reached out on LinkedIn about content developer and proofreader roles.
Standard enough. Except it wasn't.
When she declined the first offer, he came back with a part-time role. Then the ask shifted — not to a video call or a portfolio review, but to meet in person. For momos. At a pub. To "hang out."
Choudhury mentioned she was in a relationship. He continued anyway.
She called it what it was: cheap, sleazy behaviour hiding behind a job offer. She declined the role, blocked him, and posted about it publicly — not for clout, but to warn other women navigating the same landscape of fake opportunities and real predators.
This is not rare. In India's startup ecosystem, young women — especially freshers with less leverage — are disproportionately targeted this way. The "job offer" is the hook. The harassment is the point.
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