In a classic case of ‘what you sow shall you reap’, an Indian-origin man working as a data scientist for TD Canada has been fired from his job for bragging too much about for obtaining free groceries from food banks in Canada. How was he fired? His video of explaining how he saved money through food banks went viral, catching the attention of his employers.

In the viral video, the Indian-origin data scientist, identified as Mehul Prajapati, detailed how he saved money by obtaining groceries from food banks, which are run by charitable organisations in Canada and are generally meant for people from low-income households. “All these groceries for this week, I got free. This is for everyone, all the students. They even have hot food at our university,” he said in the video.

“Here, most of the universities and colleges have food banks, which are run by trusts, churches or non-profit organisations… You can take as much as you want, all basic fruits and vegetables, bread, sauces, pastas and canned vegetables which are subject to availability. This has been very helpful to me as a student,” Prajapati further said.

The video instantly went viral and several social media users criticised the man for hoarding supplies meant for the poor. “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. you don’t hate them enough,” said a user.

“Taking advantage of the community’s generosity who donate food & feed people everyday. These type of Indians have a reputation for being greedy & selfish,” said an individual online. Another user wrote, “Imagine stealing from charity meant for those in desperate need.”

However, another social media post confirmed that the viral video captured the attention of Prajapati’s employer and he was fired subsequently. “The alleged actions and messages captured in the video do not align with our TD values or culture for care. I can confirm that the individual named in the video no longer works at TD,” read a mail by the company.

This news led to another flurry of social media comments. “Now he can live that food bank life fr,” said one netizen. Another person wrote, “Good thing he knows how to get free food.” “Hopefully, this will scare others from abusing these food banks that are meant for people who are struggling and need some help,” said another user. 

However, there were some people who came to his defence after he was fired. “Ah this is actually sad. He made a mistake but what is he going to do now that he’s jobless? Probably needs this work for immigration too. Rather shame someone than shame + unnecessary job loss,” read a sympathetic tweet.

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