A Mumbai court has remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till May 26 in a money laundering case linked to alleged extortion and financial fraud. The ED sought seven days of custodial interrogation to investigate the money trail and financial transactions associated with the case. Kharat is accused of posing as an incarnation of Lord Shiva and extorting over Rs 5 crore from a complainant.
The ED revealed that the extorted money was spent on luxury items such as high-end vehicles, a farmhouse, and foreign trips. Allegedly, Kharat used Rs 5.62 crore for personal assets and tours, including purchasing a Mercedes-Benz car in his name using the complainant’s funds. The agency claimed unauthorized use of the complainant’s credit card and an additional extortion of Rs 2.5 crore for a real estate investment.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the purpose behind these transactions, with officials noting that Kharat had around 60 bank accounts where he was listed as beneficiary and nominee. Large-scale cash transactions totaling Rs 23.87 crore were detected, prompting a need to identify the source of this cash. The ED also alleged similar extortion methods in other cases against Kharat, involving transactions in crores through Bank of Baroda accounts.
Kharat faces allegations of sexual exploitation by leveraging claims of divine powers and threats against victims’ families. The Maharashtra Special Investigation Team found evidence of sleight-of-hand tricks at the Ishaneshwar Temple complex to deceive victims. A total of 17 FIRs have been filed against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, with charges including sexual assault, fraud, anti-superstition law violations, and money laundering.
