Indian-origin data scientist fired after video of him getting ‘free food’ from Canada food banks went viral – Times of India

NEW DELHI: An Indian-origin data scientist employed at TD Bank in Canada was terminated from his position after a video surfaced revealing his method of obtaining ”free food” from food banks designated for students in Canada. Mehul Prajapati‘s actions, showcased in the viral video, have ignited widespread condemnation and stirred a heated debate.
In the video, Prajapati was seen discussing his practice of acquiring “free food” from food banks established to support students in Canadian colleges and universities.With a job that reportedly earns an average of $98,000 annually, he boasted of saving “hundreds of bucks” monthly on groceries through this method. His haul, displayed in the video, ranged from fruits and vegetables to pasta and canned goods, all sourced from charity food banks.
The video, captioned by an unidentified user, drew immediate backlash as it circulated online. Users expressed outrage at Prajapati’s actions, emphasizing that food banks are intended to assist the less fortunate, not to be exploited by those financially stable.
“This guy has a job as a bank data scientist for @TD_Canada, a position that averages $98,000 per year, and proudly uploaded this video showing how much “free food” he gets from charity food banks,” the user wrote in a post on X.

Following the uproar, an update provided by the same user revealed that Prajapati had been terminated from his position at TD Bank. A screenshot of an email from the bank confirmed the dismissal, saying that the individual featured in the video “no longer works at TD.”

“Update: the food bank bandit was fired.” The user also posted a screenshot of an email from the bank confirming that the “individual named in the video no longer works at TD,” the same user informed in another post on X.

!(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {
function loadFBEvents(isFBCampaignActive) {
if (!isFBCampaignActive) {
return;
}
(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {
if (f.fbq) return;
n = f.fbq = function() {
n.callMethod ? n.callMethod(…arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments);
};
if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;
n.push = n;
n.loaded = !0;
n.version = ‘2.0’;
n.queue = [];
t = b.createElement(e);
t.async = !0;
t.defer = !0;
t.src = v;
s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);
})(f, b, e, ‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’, n, t, s);
fbq(‘init’, ‘593671331875494’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
};

function loadSurvicateJs(allowedSurvicateSections = []){
const section = window.location.pathname.split(‘/’)[1]
const isHomePageAllowed = window.location.pathname === ‘/’ && allowedSurvicateSections.includes(‘homepage’)

if(allowedSurvicateSections.includes(section) || isHomePageAllowed){
(function(w) {
var s = document.createElement(‘script’);
s.src=”https://survey.survicate.com/workspaces/0be6ae9845d14a7c8ff08a7a00bd9b21/web_surveys.js”;
s.async = true;
var e = document.getElementsByTagName(‘script’)[0];
e.parentNode.insertBefore(s, e);
})(window);
}

}