Maharashtra: Fresh ED Searches Target Godman Ashok Kharat's Financial Network

Nashik: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted fresh searches at a location in Maharashtra's Nashik district as part of a money laundering investigation against controversial self-styled godman Ashok Kharat and entities linked to him, officials said.

A location of Kharat in Sharanpur town has been raided. Some documents and computer peripherals are being scanned, they said.

The first round of searches in this case were undertaken on April 13 at the residential and commercial premises linked to Kharat, his chartered accountant (CA) Prakash Pophale, Kharat's relatives and some cooperative credit society branches.

The agency had seized Rs 42 lakh in cash and frozen assets worth Rs 2.4 crore during the earlier searches. It was not known as to whom this cash and assets belonged to.

The federal probe agency filed a criminal case against Kharat under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 6, taking cognisance of a Nashik police FIR filed against him on charges including extortion, religious manipulation and drug-facilitated assault on multiple women.

The Maharashtra government has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) of police officials to investigate the self-styled godman-cum-astrologer's alleged criminal acts and financial dealings.

The police have filed about a dozen FIRs against him so far.

The controversial man was arrested by the Nashik police in March after a married woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years. He is currently in a Nashik jail.

ED officials said Kharat opened multiple bank accounts with two cooperative credit societies located in Nashik district in the name of third parties.

They said he was named as the "nominee" in these bank accounts and had linked his mobile number to control their operations.

Preliminary probe shows that he sold common items as "blessed items" by claiming they possessed divine healing powers. The money so collected from the victims and through the "extortion" operations, has been invested in various lands through his CA, they said.

Photos of Kharat with prominent politicians and purported videos of his criminal acts with women were circulated online widely over the last few weeks, causing a political controversy in Mahasrahstra.

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The police SIT alleged that Kharat sexually exploited women by claiming that he possessed "divine power" and would use it to cause the death of their family members or defame them if they didn't comply.

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