Suspended TCS employee Nida Khan, one of the main accused in the sexual harassment and alleged religious conversion cases linked to the company’s Nashik unit, has been arrested in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar after evading police for nearly 25 days.
Last month, explosive allegations linked to a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-linked BPO unit in Nashik surfaced, with employees accusing some staff members of sexual harassment, mental abuse and attempts at religious conversion. Following the complaints, police formed multiple teams and launched a statewide search to trace Khan.
Nida Khan is accused of hurting religious sentiments and allegedly helping those accused in rape and sexual exploitation cases. Investigators have also alleged that she attempted to influence one of the complainants to adopt Islam and discouraged survivors from filing complaints against the accused.
Khan had moved a Nashik court seeking anticipatory bail, but her plea was rejected earlier this month. During the hearing, the prosecution argued that custodial interrogation was necessary as the investigation had uncovered digital evidence, witness statements and alleged links extending beyond Nashik.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the case under the direction of the Nashik Police Commissioner, had told the court that Khan allegedly introduced a complainant to specific religious practices, encouraged her to wear a hijab and burqa, and shared religious content and mobile applications with her.
Prosecutors had further claimed that there were plans to change the complainant’s name and that co-accused persons had allegedly taken possession of important documents linked to the victim. The SIT had also informed the court that the probe had widened to examine possible links to Malegaon and even Malaysia, where alleged job opportunities may have been used as inducements.
Police had earlier raided locations where Nida Khan was suspected to be hiding after questioning her husband. However, officers found the premises locked, while the mobile phones of Khan and some relatives were reportedly switched off.
Nida Khan’s lawyer had earlier told the court that she was pregnant and was staying in Mumbai while seeking protection from arrest. The defence had argued that Maharashtra does not have a specific anti-conversion law and denied allegations of forcible conversion.
ABOUT TCS NASHIK CASE
The controversy centres around a TCS-linked BPO unit in Nashik, where multiple women employees alleged sexual harassment, molestation, religious harassment and attempted forced religious conversion by senior colleagues and team leaders over the past several years.
The allegations, made by women aged between 18 and 25, include claims of molestation, unwanted touching, obscene comments, stalking, sexual exploitation on the pretext of marriage and repeated remarks targeting their personal lives and inability to have children.
Some complainants alleged they were pressured to perform namaz, encouraged to wear hijab and burqa, and coerced into eating non-vegetarian food in what investigators describe as attempts at religious conversion. FIRs also mention allegations that Hindu deities were insulted and offensive remarks were made about Hindu religious practices inside the workplace.
One complainant alleged that accused employees attempted to establish sexual relationships through intimidation and manipulation, while another accused, Tausif Attar, allegedly promised marriage before engaging in sexual relations with a colleague.
According to police, at least nine FIRs have been registered against several employees, including Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Shaikh, Asif Ansari and others. Nida Khan, who was initially believed to be an HR official but was later identified as a telecaller, has also been named as an accused.
So far, several accused have been arrested in the case, including employees and officials linked to the BPO unit. Among those arrested are Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Shaikh, Asif Ansari and Ashwin Chainani, who was associated with the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) committee. Nida Khan was arrested on Thursday.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed by Nashik Police due to the seriousness of the allegations, is probing digital evidence, witness statements and possible external links to Malegaon and Malaysia.
Meanwhile, TCS has said it did not receive formal complaints through its internal ethics or POSH mechanisms related to the accused individuals. The company has, however, constituted an oversight committee and roped in independent experts to conduct an internal investigation into the allegations.
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(Inputs by Pravin Thakare)
