Six women police officers went undercover as part of the investigation into rape and sexual harassment allegations at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Nashik. The officers worked inside the BPO office for 40 days from mid-February to monitor the behaviour of the accused employees.
Police said the move followed tip-offs about misconduct by several staff members. The operation was carried out under the supervision of city police commissioner Sandeep Karnik.
The case first came to light on March 26, when a woman employee filed a complaint at Devlali police station, accusing a senior of rape. During the investigation, more complaints surfaced.
Eight additional staff members, including one male employee, approached Mumbai Naka police station alleging sexual harassment. In total, eight FIRs were registered between March 26 and April 3.
The accused have been booked under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These include charges related to rape, sexual harassment, stalking, outraging modesty and hurting religious sentiments.
Seven of the eight accused were arrested on April 7. Following their arrest, TCS terminated their employment. The eighth accused, an HR manager, is in police remand and is also under scrutiny for allegedly failing to act after receiving a complaint email from one of the victims.
According to police, the six women officers tracked the conduct of the accused during meetings and at workstations. They remained in regular contact with senior officials and shared updates after work hours.
Sandeep Mitke, who heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT), described the operation as a well-planned effort that helped verify the initial inputs. Police said the feedback from the undercover officers supported the earlier allegations.
A Special Investigation Team has been formed to probe the case. Commissioner Karnik said the team is also examining whether the company followed proper procedures to address complaints of harassment.
A company executive stated that the Nashik unit has an Internal Complaints Committee under the POSH Act, but none of the affected employees had raised issues through this mechanism.
TCS said it is cooperating fully with the investigation. The company stated that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and prioritises employee safety.
It added that the employees under investigation were suspended after the matter came to light, and further action will depend on the outcome of the probe.
