TCS Nashik case: AIMIM corporator Mateen Patel, who 'sheltered' absconding woman staffer, to be quizzed

NASHIK: The Nashik police have issued a notice to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar corporator Mateen Patel, directing him to appear for questioning in connection with allegations that he provided shelter to a female TCS employee, a co-accused in a case involving sexual exploitation and hurting religious sentiments. The corporator has been asked to present himself before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday.Senior SIT officials confirmed that Patel has been named the fourth accused in one of the nine cases being probed by the team, which pertains to offences registered at the Deolali Camp and Mumbai Naka police stations. The initial case was registered on March 26 at the Deolali Camp police station.According to officials, Patel is accused of harbouring the woman while she was on the run. She had been evading arrest since the case was registered, before being apprehended on May 7 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Following this, Patel was booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for harbouring an offender.On Friday, the SIT filed a 1,500-page chargesheet before the special additional sessions judge at Nashik Road in connection with the March 26 case.Meanwhile, the woman, who is currently in judicial custody, has applied for bail, with the hearing scheduled for Monday. During her initial three-day police custody after her arrest, her mother was allowed to meet her twice daily — between 11am and 11.15am, and from 5pm to 5.10pm — as the accused is pregnant.