• Source:JND
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Nagpur NGO News: An NGO for children in Maharashtra's Nagpur district has come under scrutiny. Several young women have levelled serious allegations against the NGO's head, including sexual exploitation and religious pressure. The accused - Riyaz Fazil Qazi, was arrested after an FIR was filed at the Mankapur police station on Saturday night.

This case comes amid the alleged sexual assault and religious conversion case at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Nashik unit and the sexual assault case in Paratwada, Amravati district, which has drawn investigations from intelligence agencies. According to sources, cited by a Times of India report, the state's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has launched a parallel investigation into the NGO's background, its financial dealings, and its possible links beyond its stated purpose of educating children from poor families.

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23-Year-Old Woman Harassed

According to the TOI report, the main complainant is a 23-year-old woman who is employed as the administration and HR head at the NGO. She had been working with the NGO since September 2023. As per the FIR, after an office celebration on July 18, 2024 at around 1 pm, Qazi called her into his cabin. He said, "I don't want to let you go today" after allegedly hugging her against her will, kissing her on the forehead.

The complainant claimed that she could not muster the courage to resist for fear of losing her job. The victim further alleged that she was repeatedly assaulted, including one incident where the accused allegedly unplugged the CCTV before attempting to touch her. She stated that when she resisted his advances, he began to behave rudely towards her.

Accused Made Fake Social Media Accounts

She also claimed that the accused would touch her when she was alone and gather information about her from others. She also accused Qazi of creating a fake social media account using parts of his and her name to monitor the movements of female staff and volunteers. According to police sources, cited by TOI, the FIR states that the victim's elder sister, who joined the NGO as an assistant project manager in November 2025, was also pressured by the accused to recite prayers of a particular religion and wear special clothing that covered her entire body for safe travel during field visits.

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Accused Imposed Religious Practices

Furthermore, the complainant stated that other employees had also quit their jobs due to Qazi's behaviour, including a 24-year-old teacher who had joined the NGO in 2024. The complainant stated that some reported staring or attempts to impose religious practices on them, even though Qazi knew they were from a different religion. One particularly serious allegation related to a phone call made to the mother of a former employee on April 13, in which Qazi used abusive language.

Case Registered

The NGO was found closed by the victim group when they went there on April 18. After this, the group contacted the police and a case was registered. Senior Inspector Haresh Kalsekar of the Mankapur police station all victims will be contacted for investigation. After the arrest, the accused was produced in court on Sunday. He has been remanded to police custody till April 23. Investigation into the matter is underway.


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