Family Front In Land Deals :ED Probes Ashok Kharat Linked Real Estate Ventures In Money Laundring Probe

Mumbai, May 2: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into the financial empire of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, identifying developer Rahul Deshmukh as a key associate in high-value land transactions. Deshmukh, described by officials as a distant relative of Kharat, is allegedly central to real estate deals involving the Kharat family that are now under the scanner for a money laundering probe.

Deshmukh under scanner in land deals

Investigation indicates Deshmukh allegedly acted as the “business front” for Kharat’s operations, handling legal documentation and property transfers in transactions linked to the Kharat family, with investigators examining whether these deals were used to route funds.

According to officials, Deshmukh is allegedly a business partner with Kharat’s daughter in a firm named Mahalaxmi Developers. He is also linked to a plotting project in a township venture in Nashik, widely referred to as the Mahalaxmi Township project, associated with Kharat’s wife, Kalpana Kharat. Officials said these partnerships are under scrutiny to determine ownership structures and the flow of funds within the Nashik-based project. Sources indicated that while family members were listed as partners on paper, investigators suspect that Ashok Kharat was the actual operator, utilising these real estate ventures as a primary vehicle for routing and "cleaning" illicit funds.

The ED recently conducted searches at Deshmukh’s premises, during which officials said they recovered documents related to land transactions, including sale deeds and joint development agreements allegedly linked to members of the Kharat family. Sources said Deshmukh was subsequently summoned and questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.

Township project also under probe

Investigators said a large township project at Ozar in Nashik is also under scrutiny, pointing to a wider real estate footprint linked to the case. Officials said Deshmukh’s role in multiple land transactions, including those where he allegedly acted as a broker, is being examined as part of the probe.

According to officials, investigators are also examining the role of Smita Vijay Raskar, wife of an RTO officer, in connection with alleged land deal irregularities linked to Kharat. Sources said Raskar has been identified as the recorded landowner in a township venture in the Nashik region. The project, under scrutiny, is a plotting and residential development where multiple land parcels were brought together under a joint development structure, referred to as the Mahalaxmi Township project, in which Rahul Deshmukh and Kalpana Kharat, wife of Ashok Kharat, are stated to be partners.

Sources said the arrangement involved Raskar contributing land, while construction and project execution were allegedly handled by Deshmukh and Kalpana Kharat through linked entities. Officials said investigators have traced a transaction in which approximately Rs 90 lakh was allegedly transferred to Raskar by a firm associated with Deshmukh and Kharat’s wife. The agency has frozen around Rs 60 lakh in an account linked to these transactions, sources added.

ED analysing fund trail

Officials said the ED has sought details from Deshmukh regarding the source of funds and the nature of Kharat’s alleged share in the deal. Investigators are examining land records, title documents, development agreements and revenue entries to verify ownership history and transaction patterns. Officials said the ED is also probing whether the valuation of the land and subsequent financial inflows were aligned with market benchmarks or were used to facilitate alleged fund routing within the project structure.

Also Watch:

Officials said the probe has now entered a phase of asset mapping, with the agency analysing financial records and transaction trails to establish linkages and determine whether proceeds of crime were routed through such “benami-style” property investments that may have masked the actual beneficiaries.

Repeated attempts to contact Rahul Deshmukh for comment remained unanswered.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/