Mumbai, April 23: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted searches in Shirdi and Kopargaon, targeting Nilesh Bhanusaheb Jape, owner of the Marigold Hotel in Shirdi, in connection with its money laundering probe into the alleged financial dealings of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat.
Searches at multiple premises
The agency searched Jape’s residence and multiple business establishments. In the early hours, ED teams carried out a search at the premises of Jape’s textile manufacturing firm located in the MIDC area of Kopargaon. Teams later moved to Shirdi and conducted searches at the star-rated Hotel Marigold, while another team simultaneously raided Jape’s residence and questioned him regarding suspected financial transactions linked to Kharat.
Probe triggered by associate’s disclosures
The ED’s action was triggered by disclosures made by Arvind Pandurang Bawke, a close associate of Kharat, who is currently in judicial custody at the Kopargaon Sub-Jail in Ahilyanagar district.
After obtaining special permission from a Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), ED officials questioned Bawke inside the jail premises on April 21 and 22. Sources said the two-day interrogation yielded crucial inputs about a suspected “hospitality-linked” money trail involving investments in Shirdi’s hotel sector.
Alleged Rs 15 crore transaction under scanner
According to officials, Bawke allegedly revealed that Kharat had given Rs 15 crore in cash to Jape last year for a proposed land purchase deal in Shirdi. The amount was reportedly extended on interest, with an understanding that it would be returned with substantial interest if the deal did not materialise. Sources added that if the deal was finalised, Kharat was to be given a partnership stake in the project.
Sources said, according to Bawke, the deal did not materialise, but Kharat neither sought the return of the money nor charged any interest. This development suggests that Kharat, who is already facing allegations of extortion, sexual assault, and religious fraud, may have channelled unaccounted funds into the lucrative Shirdi hotel sector. Officials are examining the circumstances under which the funds remained with Jape and whether the transaction forms part of a larger money laundering mechanism. The ED has also summoned Jape to its Mumbai office to record his statement.
Investigation into possible money laundering network
Acting on these leads, ED teams searched Jape’s residential and business premises, including the Marigold Hotel. Officials said they are verifying these transactions to determine whether Jape’s establishments were used as fronts for layering Kharat’s "proceeds of crime."
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The ED has already mapped a benami property network linked to Kharat worth over Rs 500 crore across Nashik, Pune, and Solapur. The inclusion of the Shirdi-Kopargaon hospitality corridor marks a new phase in the investigation, as the agency moves to identify further "business associates" who helped Kharat integrate illicit funds into legitimate industries.
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