Nashik ‘godman’ hobnobbed with the rich and powerful to build an empire

While Ashok Kharat catered to ordinary visitors, his core business revolved around affluent clients who often sought private consultations at their homes or offices

PUNE/ NASHIK: For over two decades since he retired from the merchant navy, Ashok Kharat, 67, cultivated an aura that charmed the wealthy and powerful such as politicians, realtors and businessmen, which strengthened his equity and helped build a sprawling asset base, which is now under scrutiny.

Nashik ‘godman’ hobnobbed with the rich and powerful to build an empire

Kharat tested waters with a modest practice of astrology in the late 1990s, which gradually expanded into a high-profile consultancy that investigating officers of Nashik police say, operated on exclusivity, access and steep fees. Kharat — who often referred to himself as “Captain”, citing his past association with the merchant navy — was fluent in English, Hindi and Marathi, and blended astrology with numerology and religious rituals, a combination that appealed to clients seeking both prediction and reassurance, particularly in pivotal situations such as elections, business deals and personal crises.

A Nashik-based politician said he was much sought after in the run-up to polls.

One such instance, recounted by a politician close to a Nashik-based senior leader, underlines both Kharat’s influence and the risks of such dependence. “He predicted a comfortable victory for the leader. Convinced by this, the politician did not spend aggressively during the campaign ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But he lost by a wide margin,” he said. When Hindustan Times contacted the leader from Nashik, he acknowledged his meetings with Kharat, dismissing him as “a fraud”.

While Kharat catered to ordinary visitors, his core business revolved around affluent clients who often sought private consultations at their homes or offices. A senior Nashik police officer said, “We have learnt that his fees varied sharply. Wealthy clients who wanted him to visit their premises or conduct elaborate rituals, were charged as much as ₹50 lakh.”

These high-value interactions, often conducted discreetly, helped Kharat build both wealth and a reputation of exclusivity.

That wealth -- estimated to be over ₹100 crore -- is now under the spotlight. He is invested in land parcels and residential properties. So far, properties in Adgaon, Sinnar, Pathardi and Ozar in Nashik district, as well as in Shirdi in Ahilyanagar, have been identified. Police suspect there could be more holdings elsewhere in the state.

Following his arrest on Wednesday, after a complaint by a 27-year-old woman who alleged she was repeatedly raped by Kharat, he initially remined tight-lipped during questioning but later shared partial details about his assets, police said, adding that a comprehensive valuation was underway.

The case has triggered wider allegations, including claims of sexual exploitation, prompting the state police to constitute a special investigation team (SIT), to be headed by Tejaswi Satpute, commandant of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), Pune.

“Along with the Nashik case, the SIT will also probe two other cases registered in Shirdi police station this year and another at Wavi police station in rural Nashik last year,” he said.

The case in Wavi pertains to Kharat’s complaint about a blackmail bid of ₹5 crore by an unknown person using his morphed obscene photograph. The case was later transferred to the crime branch. A separate case registered in Shirdi — involving allegations of sexual abuse by a woman — may not be directly linked to Kharat, but will still be examined by the SIT as part of the broader probe, said police sources.

Even as the investigation widens, Kharat’s family has rejected the allegations about his wealth and professional activities. His wife, Kalpana, claimed that astrology was merely his hobby. “My husband was not a professional astrologer. Some close associates backstabbed him and tried to tarnish his image,” she said.

For investigators, however, the case is no longer confined to a single allegation. It has opened up a deeper inquiry into how an astrologer built a network among the powerful, monetised access to wealthy clients, and amassed significant assets — all while operating largely outside public scrutiny.