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Key Points
The Enforcement Directorate has conducted multi-city raids in a money laundering case against Ashok Kharat under the PMLA.
Kharat faces multiple FIRs including mass sexual assault, rape, extortion, black magic and alleged financial fraud, with a SIT probing the case.
Political allegations, a whistleblower account and the death of a close aide have added new layers to the controversy.
Investigations into self-proclaimed godman Ashok Kharat have intensified in Maharashtra, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducting searches across multiple locations for evidence of money laundering. Scrutiny increased after a close aide of Kharat, along with his wife, died in a car crash during the investigation.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already been probing allegations against him of rape, human sacrifice, and black magic. This follows an FIR charging him with extortion, religious manipulation and drug-facilitated assault.
Amidst all this, leaked information from the investigation has revealed connections between Kharat and top Maharashtra politicians.
Kharat, a 67-year-old former Merchant Navy officer who presented himself as a godman and astrologer, was arrested on 18 March 2026 after a 27-year-old woman accused him of repeated rape over three years. He is currently in a Nashik jail. Police have registered around a dozen FIRs against him across multiple stations, including Vavi, Shirdi and...
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