Police in Nashik have widened the probe into the TCS workplace harassment and alleged conversion case by naming Abdul Mateen Patel, an AIMIM councillor from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, as an accused for allegedly sheltering former employee Nida Khan while she was evading investigators.

Patel, a councillor from Naregaon, was taken into police custody for questioning on Friday after Khan's arrest from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar on Thursday night. Investigators allege that he helped Khan and members of her family secure accommodation while she was wanted in connection with the case. Police officials have said a notice was issued to him and that further action would depend on evidence gathered during the investigation.

Khan, a suspended Tata Consultancy Services employee attached to the company's Nashik BPO unit, was produced before a Nashik court on Friday and remanded in police custody until May 11. She is among the key accused in a case involving allegations of sexual harassment, religious coercion, intimidation and attempts to influence employees at the workplace. Her arrest followed a search that began after her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a Nashik court.

Police have registered multiple FIRs in the case between March 26 and April 3, naming several employees and former employees. The allegations centre on claims that women employees were subjected to harassment and pressure linked to religious conversion. Investigators are examining whether the alleged conduct involved organised coercion, workplace intimidation and attempts to misuse personal vulnerabilities of employees.

The case has drawn wider attention because it involves a major technology services company, workplace safety rules and politically sensitive allegations of religious coercion. Tata Consultancy Services has suspended accused employees and initiated internal proceedings, while the police probe is being handled through a Special Investigation Team. The company's Nashik unit has come under scrutiny over whether complaints were acted upon in time and whether internal grievance mechanisms functioned as required under workplace harassment law.

Among those arrested earlier were employees accused of direct involvement in harassment and coercion, as well as a senior woman officer who was part of the company's internal mechanism dealing with sexual harassment complaints. Police allege that a complaint was not handled in accordance with mandatory procedures, though the accused have denied wrongdoing and sought bail.

Khan's role has become central to the investigation after prosecutors argued that custodial interrogation was needed to examine her alleged contact with the complainant, her movements while absconding and the people who helped her avoid police action. Investigators are also examining digital devices, call records and possible financial links to establish whether the accused acted individually or as part of a broader network.