Nashik police on Monday, May 25,
interrogated AIMIM's Mateen Patel, a corporator from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, for more than seven hours in connection with his alleged role in arranging shelter for Nida Khan. The woman, an employee of TCS, is a co-accused in a case involving sexual harassment and hurting religious sentiments, which was registered on March 26 at the Deolali Camp police station.
Authorities also
questioned Hanif Khan, at whose residence Khan was discovered to have been staying. The interrogation, which took place at the Nashik police commissionerate and began at approximately 10 am, centered on the circumstances under which the absconding woman came into contact with Patel, as well as the nature of his association with Khan. Investigators are working on the suspicion that the lodging arrangement for the woman was made at Patel's direction.
ACP (Crime) Sandeep Mitke, who is heading the Special Investigation Team probing nine related cases registered at the Deolali Camp and Mumbai Naka police stations, confirmed that both Mateen Patel and Hanif Khan would be summoned again within a few days for further questioning. He also noted that the mobile phones of both individuals have been seized and that forensic analysis of the digital devices is expected to yield additional details once the reports are received.
Patel has been named as the fourth accused in the case for his alleged role in facilitating accommodation for the woman. In Patel's defence, his counsel argued that the corporator had acted in 'good faith' and without any ulterior motive.
He was taken into police
custody on May 8th for helping former TCS employee and key accused, Nida Khan, evade police action. Later on May 13th, the Municipal Corporation in the city of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar
demolished his illegal 600-square-foot house and an associated office in Kausar Park. The Corporation stated that Patel had constructed the property illegally, without obtaining the necessary authorizations.
Who is Nida Khan, whom Patel aided in evading police action Nida Khan was, until recently, a process associate
employed at the Nashik unit of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), one of India's largest and most globally recognized IT companies. By most outward measures, she appeared to be an ordinary mid-level employee. But for months, and according to some victims, years, she allegedly used her position at the workplace to orchestrate something far more sinister, a systematic campaign of religious coercion, psychological harassment, and sexual exploitation targeting her female colleagues.
Nida was arrested by the Nashik Police on May 8th for her key role in sexually harassing Hindu women working at TCS, mentally torturing them, and forcing them to convert to Islam. What makes the case particularly alarming is the calculated, methodical nature of the alleged conduct; this was not a single incident, but a sustained operation carried out under the cover of a corporate environment.
In early 2026, multiple employees at the TCS Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) campus in Nashik, Maharashtra, filed FIRs alleging sustained sexual harassment and religious coercion by several team leaders. The allegations reportedly span from 2022 to 2026, pointing to prolonged misconduct within the workplace.
The case came to light after a woman employee filed a complaint at the Deolali Camp Police Station. As more victims came forward, a clear and disturbing pattern began to emerge. The accused allegedly created multiple WhatsApp groups and smaller internal communication circles to engage with colleagues and gradually influence them. Victims claimed that individuals were shortlisted based on personal vulnerabilities such as emotional stress or family issues.
Several victims claimed that repeated complaints had been made to the company's human resources department, including over 78 emails and multiple phone calls, but no effective action was taken. The allegations against Nida Khan herself are chilling in their specificity. According to the FIR, Khan allegedly advised women employees to dress and behave in accordance with Islamic traditions. Some complainants alleged that they were coerced or pressured into adopting religious practices, including praying, changing dietary habits, and adopting religious symbols.
The prosecution informed the court that the investigation had expanded beyond Nashik, with alleged links to Malegaon and Malaysia. Khan tried to influence one of the complainants to adopt Islam by teaching her religious practices. The operational details are even more disturbing. She allegedly tried to change the victim's name to "Haniya," provided her with a burqa and Islamic religious books (now seized by police), installed religious apps on her phone, and shared online content promoting conversion. Police sources say Khan repeatedly warned the victim of consequences for refusal.
The prosecution also alleged that co-accused Danish Sheikh had taken possession of the complainant's educational and other important documents, which were to be handed over to a team in Malegaon as part of the plan. This suggests a network operating well beyond the walls of a single BPO office.