Three-day police custody for Nashik TCS employee held from Sambhajinagar

Nashik: A local court on Friday remanded the Nashik TCS woman employee arrested in a case involving alleged sexual exploitation and religious harassment of a colleague in police custody till May 11.The 27-year-old woman's whereabouts were not known since the FIR was registered against her, and two of her male colleagues, on March 26. She was apprehended from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar late on Thursday night and produced before additional sessions judge Kedar Joshi of Nashik Road district and additional sessions court who ordered her three-day police custody on Friday afternoon.Police said since the woman is pregnant, she will be provided with necessary medications. Her mother has been allowed to meet her daily from 11am to 11.15am and from 5pm to 5.10pm during her custodial remand, said an officer in the police investigating team.The main accused in the case, which was registered with the Deolali Camp police station, faced charges of hiding his marital status and sexually exploiting the complainant, a co-worker, on the promise of marriage. Another colleague of his faced charges of sexually harassing the complainant in the office lobby and other places. Both of them were earlier arrested. The woman was named the third accused in the case and faced charges of making comments hurting the complainant's religious sentiments.Public prosecutor Ajay Misar said it was necessary to investigate where the woman stayed and who provided her with shelter and support ever since the FIR was registered. He said police have registered an FIR against a corporator from Sambhajinagar, Mateen Patel, under Section 238 of BNS for arranging her shelter."The woman was a key accused in the case as she had allegedly given the complainant a garment for the purpose of religious conversion. The garment has been seized and it must be investigated from where and from whom it was obtained. She used to frequently share with the complainant social media links on religious education from her cellphone, which needs to be seized for investigation," Misar told newspersons outside the court."Police also need to investigate if other people are involved in the crime and the allegation that the complainant was sent to a man in Malaysia for a job," Misar said.Nashik commissioner of police Sandeep Karnik said he thanked his Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar counterpart Pravin Pawar and his team for their support to track down the woman. "Initial probe by the Nashik police's Special Investigation Team revealed that the woman was harboured by Mateen Patel, the local corporator of Naregaon," he said."Subsequently, the information was communicated to the Sambhajinagar CP, who deployed his teams for discreet surveillance. Once her location was ascertained, she was picked up by police in plain clothes. Police have questioned Patel and made him an accused. We will investigate and identify all those who have harboured the accused and hindered the legal process," Karnik said.Ever since the first FIR in connection with the Nashik TCS case was registered with the Deolali Camp police station, eight more cases, related to alleged sexual harassment and hurting religious sentiments, were registered with the Mumbai Naka police station. Police have till Thursday night arrested eight people, including two women.