Abdul Mateen Patel, an AIMIM councillor from Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, was taken into police custody on Friday in connection with the high-profile TCS Nashik conversion and sexual harassment case, with investigators accusing him of helping former TCS employee and key accused, Nida Khan, evade police action.
Patel was detained and taken into custody by the Nashik Crime Branch after a case was registered against him under Section 249 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (assisting an offender) for allegedly aiding Nida Khan. Police are currently questioning Patel as part of the ongoing investigation.
Nida Khan, who was a telecaller at the TCS Nashik BPO unit, was arrested on Thursday in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar after remaining absconding for 25 days. She was traced to an apartment where she was allegedly staying with relatives before being produced before a local court on a transfer warrant and later brought to Nashik by police.
Investigators have accused Khan of hurting religious sentiments, attempting religious conversion, discouraging survivors from filing complaints and assisting accused people in alleged rape and sexual exploitation cases linked to the TCS Nashik unit. Police sources said the locality from where Khan was detained falls within the constituency represented by Patel, giving rise to scrutiny over his alleged role in helping her.
The arrest of Nida Khan triggered a response from AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel, who claimed that a “false atmosphere” was being created around the case. He accused sections of the media of conducting a trial before the courts had reached any conclusion.
Jaleel said Nida Khan had maintained her innocence when he first met her family and stressed that every accused person has the legal right to seek relief from courts. He argued that police investigations should proceed independently and that the final decision would rest with the judiciary, not political leaders or media narratives.
Targeting Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat, Jaleel asserted that ministers should not interfere in police investigations and alleged that attempts were being made to politicise the matter. He also said there was a clear distinction between an accused and a convicted person, adding that allegations alone should not be treated as proof of guilt.
WHAT IS THE TCS NASHIK CASE?
The controversy centres around a TCS-linked BPO unit in Nashik, where several women employees aged between 18 and 25 alleged sexual harassment, molestation, stalking, coercion and attempts at religious conversion by senior colleagues and team leaders over several years.
The complainants alleged they were pressured to perform namaz, encouraged to wear hijab and burqa, and coerced into consuming non-vegetarian food. FIRs also mention allegations of derogatory remarks against Hindu religious practices and deities inside the workplace.
Some women further alleged that accused employees exploited them sexually on the pretext of marriage, intimidated them, and manipulated them into relationships. One accused, identified as Tausif Attar, allegedly promised marriage before engaging in sexual relations with a colleague.
According to police, at least nine FIRs have been registered against multiple accused, including Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Shaikh, Asif Ansari and others. Nida Khan, initially believed to be an HR official but later identified as a telecaller at the Nashik BPO unit, was also named among the accused.
– Ends
(with inputs from Pravin Thakare and Israruddin Chishty)
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
May 8, 2026 16:41 IST
