Nida Khan, the key accused in the highly-controversial religious conversion and sexual harassment episode at the Nashik unit of the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), finally fell into the police dragnet on Thursday. Notably, Khan had been on the run for weeks, and was taken into custody by the cops from a rented flat in the Naregaon area of Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Khan was residing with family

Police officials in the know of the development said that Khan had been hiding at a rented residence in Kaiser Colony along with her parents, brother and aunt for several days. The police were tipped-off regarding her current whereabouts, following which they kept continued surveillance of the location before executing the arrest.

The Nashik Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police Commissionerate and the city’s Crime Branch jointly conducted the operation.

Cops resort to covert operation

In order to prevent the locals from getting a whiff of a police operation, more than 20 police personnel moved forward with the operation in plain clothes, and refrained from using official vehicles too. The cops relied on technical analysis and location tracking to confirm Khan’s presence before tightening the net.

After sustained surveillance confirmed Khan’s location in the area, the cops swooped down on her before she could proceed with legal steps, including an alleged plan to seek relief from the High Court (HC).

Post-arrest, she was produced before a Judicial Magistrate (First Class) at his residence, from where the police secured transit remand. She was then taken to Nashik for further interrogation.

Details of the case

The case stems from allegations levelled by a female employee at TCS Nashik’s branch. She accused a colleague, Danish Sheikh of sexually exploiting her on the pretext of marriage. When the police filed a case and mounted a probe, they found that Sheikh was already married.

Further probe revealed that Nida Khan, who is Sheikh’s sister, attempted to coerce the complainant woman into religious conversion and made derogatory remarks about her faith.

With the probe advancing, seven more female colleagues came forward, only to narrate a similar saga by senior colleagues, along with inaction by the company’s Human Resources (HR) department. The incidents are said to have taken place between February 2022 and March 2026.

So far, the police have arrested 8 individuals, including Khan, in connection with the case.

Legal relief denied to Khan

While evading the police earlier, Khan had also approached a Nashik court twice, seeking anticipatory bail owing to her pregnancy. However, the court declined to grant interim relief to her.