- By Shibra Siddiqui
- Thu, 10 Apr 2025 01:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
An Indian-origin CEO of Gradiant, a water treatment startup, Anurag Bajpayee, has been arrested in the United States in connection with a luxury brothel scandal operating in Boston. Bajpayee is accused of paying hundreds of dollars per hour for sex work earlier in 2025. Along with Bajpayee, scores have been named in court documents in the Boston area in connection with the case, the New York Post reported.
The high-end brothel was operated out of luxury apartments near Harvard University, attracting executives, doctors, lawyers, and politicians, who submitted IDs, work badges, and personal references to gain access. According to the Wall Street Journal, the operation charged up to $600 (over Rs50,000) an hour for service. The detailed records it kept are now central to a series of criminal hearings named “The Cambridge Brothel Hearings,” exposing over 30 prominent men.
Despite calls for resignation from some employees, Gradiant is standing behind its CEO. The company, through a statement, expressed faith in the justice system. "We believe in the justice system and are confident that this will resolve favorably in due course. Unrelated to this, Gradiant will continue to pursue excellence in technological innovation and to strive towards our mission to ensure clean water for all society," the company wrote in a statement.
Who Is Anurag Bajpayee
Anurag Bajpayee is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a clean water firm valued at 1 billion USD. Bajpayee’s company, Gradiant, based in Boston, is among the top wastewater treatment firms in the United States.
Bajpayee holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He completed his initial education at La Martiniere College in Lucknow and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2006. Bajpayee specialises in industrial desalination and water treatment.
His doctoral research focused on industrial desalination and has been recognised by Scientific American as one of the "Top 10 World-Changing Ideas."