MAM
Hindustan Pencils takes a stand against scammers: Urges public awareness on fake job offers
Mumbai: Hindustan Pencils Pvt Ltd (HPPL), the renowned Indian manufacturer of writing materials and stationery items, established in 1958, is taking all the essential steps to safeguard innocent people from fake job scams. In recent times, the company has observed with concern the proliferation of fraudulent job offers falsely attributed to its iconic brands Nataraj and Apsara.
These scammers are fraudulently impersonating HPPL’s legitimate representatives. They misuse HPPL’s registered office address as well as images of their personnel to cheat innocent and unsuspecting individuals into supposed work-from-home pencil packaging job opportunities through various digital media including Google, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and other online platforms. These misleading offers have led to unfortunate instances where innocent job seekers fall victim to scams, losing money and trust.
Being the pioneers in manufacturing pencils & other stationery items since the year 1958 through advanced technology, HPPL has never authorised any such employment offers of work-from-home pencil packing jobs. HPPL would like to bring to the notice of all job aspirants and the general public that recruitment in HPPL is carried out through a well-established selection process. It is clarified that no websites or agencies have been authorized by HPPL either to show vacancy positions on its site or to accept any application for recruitment on behalf of HPPL. They also refrain from requesting any payment from job seekers under any circumstances. Therefore, any job postings that require money in exchange for a work-from-home pencil packing job are false, fake & bogus.
Furthermore, all Nataraj and Apsara pencils are manufactured and packaged with state-of-the-art automated machinery in robust manufacturing units across India.
The company is committed to maintaining transparency and protecting the interests of its consumers and the public at large.
In response to these alarming developments, Hindustan Pencils has undertaken the following vital initiatives:
Legal Action: Hindustan Pencils has taken a strong stance against these scammers and filed a First Information Report (FIR) to initiate legal proceedings against those responsible for propagating these fraudulent job offers.
Awareness Video: Dubbed & uploaded videos in 10 key Indian languages Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Maghai The company has circulated awareness videos through social media channels to educate the public about these fraudulent job scams. The video underscores the importance of verifying job offers through official channels to avoid falling prey to scams.
To date, HPPL is vigilant in tracking fake advertisements on Facebook and has successfully taken down 991 pages carrying fake pencils packing job work from home. They have also successfully taken down 11 pages carrying fake pencils packing job work from home on the IndiaMART portal.
Communication Outreach: Alongside law enforcement authorities, Hindustan Pencils is engaging with consumers across India through emails, telephone calls, 24 x 7 automated response on board line & consumer care number response through manually operated customer care executive to highlight the menace of the fraudulent packaging job scam to help protect public interests.
HPPL is also keeping a close eye on various advertisements published in print media under the classified column and communicating directly with publications disclaiming any such job offers and has also published cautionary notices in the newspaper where such fake job offer advertisements were published.
Over a span of time, even scammers have adapted and refined their methods of operation. Advertisements are now being disseminated without explicit mention of any particular brand name. On a regular basis, HPPL receives a multitude of inquiries, verification requests, and complaints via phone calls from individuals spanning the entire country. These calls come in through various contact points such as board numbers, consumer care lines, and toll-free numbers. HPPL representatives diligently caution each caller, emphasizing the importance of refraining from transferring any funds to these fraudulent entities under any circumstances. Callers are further advised to promptly report the incident to their local cybercrime authorities if they have, unfortunately, fallen victim to the scam and already made monetary transactions.
Hindustan Pencils president Pradip Ughade stated, “We take immense pride in our legacy of providing quality stationery products to our customers. It is disheartening to see the Nataraj and Apsara brand names being misused by scammers to exploit innocent job seekers. We are determined to put an end to these fraudulent activities and ensure that the public is well-informed and protected.”
Hindustan Pencils urges all individuals to exercise caution and diligence while seeking job opportunities online. The company advises job seekers to verify offers directly through the official website and authorized channels to avoid falling victim to scams.
Brands
Eternal pumps Rs 450 crore into Blinkit as quick commerce race heats up
Fresh funds fuel Blinkit’s expansion as rivals Zepto and Instamart scale up
MUMBAI: Eternal has infused Rs 450 crore, into its quick commerce subsidiary Blinkit, marking its first capital injection into the company in 2026. The funding comes as competition in India’s fast-growing quick commerce market continues to intensify.
According to media reports, the capital infusion was approved by the board through a rights issue, with 2,799 equity shares allotted at an issue price of Rs 16,07,161 per share. The funds are expected to support Blinkit’s expansion, operational expenses and working capital needs as it scales operations across more cities.
The latest investment follows significant funding support from Eternal in 2025. The company invested Rs 500 crore in January, Rs 1,500 crore in February and Rs 600 crore in November, taking the total infusion last year to Rs 2,600 crore. The continued funding highlights Eternal’s focus on strengthening its quick commerce business.
Blinkit’s operations have grown rapidly alongside these investments. In the December quarter of FY25, the company reported revenue of Rs 1,399 crore, up from Rs 644 crore in the same period a year earlier. Gross order value also rose to Rs 7,798 crore during the quarter, reflecting strong demand for rapid delivery services.
However, profitability remains under pressure as the company continues to expand. Blinkit reported an adjusted ebitda loss of Rs 103 crore in the quarter, compared with a loss of Rs 8 crore in the previous quarter.
The funding comes at a time when competition in the quick commerce segment is increasing. Rival startup Zepto raised $450 million in October last year, while Swiggy raised around Rs 10,000 crore in December to strengthen investments in its quick commerce arm Instamart.
Earlier this year, Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa was elevated to group CEO of Eternal, succeeding Deepinder Goyal, reflecting the growing strategic importance of the quick commerce business within the company.
