The hearing of the bail application of Nida Khan, the ‘mastermind’ of the alleged escape in the religious conversion and sexual harassment case, is scheduled to be held at the Nashik facility of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), on Monday, April 20.
The 26-year-old, one of eight accused in the case related to alleged sexual harassment and religious coercion at a BPO in Nashik, moved a Nashik sessions court seeking anticipatory bail on Saturday.
The remaining seven defendants were arrested. However, Khan evaded law enforcement, which her family denied, saying she was not a fugitive.
TCS Nashik has suspended all eight accused, including Nida Khan.
What we know about Nida Khan
Nida Khan joined BPO in Nashik in December 2021, but not as an HR officer. She worked at a TCS facility as a telephone caller and was not among the senior staff.
She grew up and was educated in Nashik and has a degree in commerce. She is currently pursuing her MBA through correspondence while working, HT reported earlier.
Read also | TCS BPO row timeline explained: Multiple FIRs on March 26 for accused Nida Khan to ‘abscond’
Khan’s family said she got married last year and moved to Mumbai with her husband this year. She was working in BPO’s Malad office. Her family also told Hindustan Times that Nida is expecting her first child.
At first, Nidaa and her family thought the case involved another woman with the same name. But since they realized it was really her, the family began to suffer psychological trauma.
What is Nida Khan’s charge?
Nida Khan is among the eight names accused of sexual harassment and alleged religious conversion of Hindu girls at a BPO linked to TCS in Nashik.
Police have described Nida as the “mastermind” behind the alleged conversions.
“My daughter did none of these things. She simply went to work every day and got into trouble just for saying hello and goodbye to people,” Nida’s father claimed while speaking to HT.
Soon after Nida Khan’s name emerged as an accused, the police launched a manhunt to track her down. Her exact whereabouts remain unclear amid the ongoing investigation, as law enforcement authorities intensify their search for Nida Khan.
Read also | Nashik ‘escape mastermind’ Nida Khan suspended from TCS: What’s in the suspension letter?
The police said that she was on the run, and added that they were trying to track her movements through technical surveillance and field operations.
Nida Khan’s husband was also detained under the jurisdiction of Mumbai Police Station during investigation, a police statement said.
The statement added, “It was noted that the mobile phones of both the accused and her relatives were switched off. A search is currently underway for the accused, Nida Khan.”
Khan’s husband told police she was staying at a relative’s house, but when officers arrived, the house was locked.
In her anticipatory bail petition, Nida Khan claimed that she was pregnant, a claim previously supported by her family.
Khan’s defense lawyers Rahul Kasliwal and Baba Syed said the court is expected to hear the anticipatory bail application on Monday. Kaliswal also said: “She was falsely implicated in the case. She has no record of any kind of criminal activity.”
TCS Nashik Status
In the TCS Nashik case, police registered nine FIRs against eight BPO employees, including one against Nida Khan.
The case first came to light when the Nashik police lodged an FIR on the complaint of a 23-year-old BPO employee.
Nine junior employees accused their senior colleagues, including team leaders, of alleged sexual assault and other types of religious harassment and coercion. Based on these allegations, an FIR was registered in Nashik between March 26 and April 3.
With inputs from Ranjan Dasgupta and Mayura Janwalkar
