Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Pratibha Chakankar, sister of former State Women’s Commission chairperson and NCP leader Rupali Chakankar, and her son Tanmay for questioning next week in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation involving self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, officials said.
Investigators have identified a total four bank accounts at the Samata Nagari Sahakari Patsanstha (Credit Cooperative Society), which reportedly recorded transactions ranging between approximately Rs 1.20 crore and Rs 2.40 crore over the past few years. According to sources, these accounts are allegedly linked to Kharat, who is under investigation for operating a wider network of more than 134 suspected fake or proxy accounts used for routing funds through cooperative banking channels.Officials said Kharat was allegedly shown as nominee in these accounts, and his mobile number was reportedly used during the account-opening process.
Pratibha Chakankar has publicly denied these allegations, claiming that the accounts are fake and that her signatures were forged without her knowledge.
In its broader probe, the ED has uncovered what officials described as a sophisticated financial network operating through the Samata Nagari Sahakari Patsanstha in Ahilyanagar. The agency has flagged suspicious transactions exceeding Rs 70 crore between 2022 and 2024, routed through a network of over 100 suspected “ghost” bank accounts linked to Kharat’s followers, associates and customers.Officials said investigation into the suspected “ghost” accounts has revealed that Kharat allegedly collected KYC documents, including Aadhaar and PAN details, from devotees under the guise of religious activities, and used these credentials to open benami or proxy accounts in the cooperative credit society without the knowledge of the original holders.
According to officials, the transactions are suspected to be part of a structured layering mechanism designed to allegedly obscure the origin, movement and beneficial ownership of funds. The ED is examining the role of the cooperative credit society in facilitating these transactions and whether multiple linked accounts were used to circulate funds within an internal system before withdrawal or reinvestment. Officials said verification of banking records, account linkages and transaction trails is underway.
Of the 100 accounts currently under scrutiny, 60 were identified as regular savings accounts, while 40 were classified as “special savings accounts” within the cooperative society. Investigators have identified these special accounts as a structured arrangement designed to mimic Fixed Deposit (FD)-like instruments,within the internal system. Sources said these accounts were internally assigned coded identifiers such as 001, 002 and 003 in a continuous series to facilitate tracking and rotation of funds.In what officials describe as a classic layering pattern, transactions in these accounts, both deposits and withdrawals, were allegedly routed exclusively through associated ghost savings accounts
Preliminary financial analysis indicates that total transactions amount to Rs 70.74 crore between 2022 and 2024, with Rs35.53 crore credited and Rs35.21 crore debited,in these ghost accounts.Officials said such patterns are typically associated with high-frequency layering mechanisms used to obscure financial trails.
The agency has also summoned Sandip Omprakash Koyate, director of the Samata Nagari Sahakari Patsanstha, for questioning regarding the institution’s operations. Investigators are examining how over 100 accounts, allegedly linked through common identifiers such as mobile numbers and nominee details, operated without triggering internal red flags, despite banking systems being designed to detect unusual clustering patterns of accounts,especially where one individual appears repeatedly as nominee or operational contact. The agency is assessing whether the institution functioned as a structured conduit for fund movement rather than a conventional deposit-taking entity.
Also Watch:
During questioning, Arvind Pandurang Bawke, a close associate of Kharat currently in judicial custody at Kopargaon Sub-Jail in Ahilyanagar district, allegedly stated that, on Kharat’s instructions, he had on several occasions deposited cash into the ghost accounts under scrutiny. These funds were then allegedly treated as FD-like investments within the internal system to generate returns, without the knowledge of the original account holders that accounts had been opened and operated in their names. Officials said the funds were further allegedly circulated within the internal network before being withdrawn or reinvested.
In a parallel development, the ED has also widened its probe to another cooperative institution in Nashik. Officials said Namkaran Yashwant Aware, chairman of the Jagdamba Mata Gramin Bigar Sheti Sahakari Patsanstha Maryadit in Sinnar, was summoned and questioned. Investigators have identified around 34 suspected ghost accounts within the society and have traced a money trail involving several of these accounts allegedly linked to Kharat.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing, with multiple angles, including account linkages, fund movement and identification of beneficiaries, under examination. More individuals connected to the accounts are likely to be questioned in the coming days as the agency seeks to map the full extent of the alleged financial network.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
