Pune: Two former employees of the Serum Institute of India have been booked for breach of trust for allegedly stealing confidential information about a vaccine and filing for patent on behalf of their present employer, police said on Sunday.

The duo, identified as Dr Manoj Kumar Chhikara and Dr Rakesh Rana, who worked as assistant managers (R&D) and Quality Control at the institute respectively, allegedly put their names as researchers in the patent application. Police yesterday registered a case against them under IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and provisions of the Information Technology Act.