Almost a day after Nida Khan, the key accused in the TCS Nashik Row fell into the police dragnet following a 42-day hunt, the police on Friday have detained Abdul Mateen Patel, an AIMIM councillor from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, on charges of allegedly aiding her in evading arrest.

The Nashik Crime branch sleuths detained Payel and booked him under Section 249 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to assisting an offender. Cops suspect he played a key role in helping Khan remain absconding for many days, even as the probe intensified. Police officials said Patel is being interrogated at present to ascertain the extent of his involvement in the case.

Leaders voice concerns after Nida’s arrest

Notably, Khan on Thursday was traced to a rented apartment in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where he had been staying with her family. She was produced before a local court psot-arrest, and was taken to Nashik on a transit warrant for further probe. Reacting to her arrest, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel claimed that a ‘manufactured atmosphere’ had been built surrounding the case. He alleged that sections of the media were conducting a trial even before the judiciary reached a conclusion.

Furthermore, he emphasised that Khan had maintained her innocence during his interaction with her family, and underscored that every accused has the right to seek legal recourse. Adding to this, he urged that the probe be allowed to proceed independently, without interference from politicians. In his statements, he also took aim at Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsat, cautioning him not to politicise the matter.

TCS Nashik victims aged between 18 and 25

The case centres on a TCS-linked BPO unit in Maharashtra’s Nashik, where multiple female employees aged between 18 and 25 levelled serious allegations of religious conversion coercion and sexual harassment against senior co-workers and team leaders. Some victims even alleged pressure was mounted on them to adopt specific religious practices, such as performing Namaz and wearing hijab.