Maharashtra CM says six women have complained against ‘godman’ Ashok Kharat; 8 cases filed so far

Of the eight cases against self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, seven are being probed by the special investigation team (SIT) and one by the Nashik police.

Six women have lodged complaints against self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, and eight cases have been filed against him so far. This was stated by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also said Kharat’s financial transactions and properties are being investigated and all those who had links with him will be probed. (Hindustan Times)

Fadnavis also said Kharat’s financial transactions and properties are being investigated and all those who had links with him will be probed. The chief minister stated this in response to queries by legislators about Kharat’s links with politicians and bureaucrats. Kharat’s communication with several individuals will be investigated, including deleted data from his phone and other records that has been recovered.

Late on Tuesday night, the state revenue department relieved Abhijit Bhande Patil as deputy collector in the state Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). The order was issued by the revenue department amid allegations that Bhande’s daughter and Kharat jointly owned properties.

Making a detailed statement in the assembly, Fadnavis said the investigation began after a woman approached the Shirdi police on February 18 with a complaint against Niraj Jadhav (an associate of Kharat), who had threatened to circulate AI-generated videos of her.

Of the eight cases against Kharat, seven are being probed by the special investigation team (SIT) and one by the Nashik police. Six women have lodged complaints so far – five filed by the victims themselves, and one by a man whose wife was sexually harassed by Kharat.

Kharat blackmailed women and repeatedly raped them, claiming he was an avatar of Lord Shiva. He instructed them to abide by his orders, threatening them with dire consequences if they didn’t, Fadnavis said.

On investigating high-profile individuals linked to Kharat, he said data from Kharat’s mobile phone is being cloned and the phone would be sent to the cyber forensic lab in Mumbai to recover deleted data for further investigation.

The Nashik police are also in touch with the income tax department to probe financial irregularities linked to Kharat, he added. So far, property worth ₹40.87 crore has been linked to Kharat.

The inspector general of stamps and registration is probing Kharat’s properties and the income tax department is looking into possible tax evasion, Fadnavis said, adding that fraudulent dealings concerning trusts run by Kharat are also being investigated.

When the probe began

The investigation into Kharat’s activities began on February 18, after a woman complained that Kharat’s associate Niraj Jadhav had threatened to circulate an AI-generated image of her online. “The victim didn’t provide her cell phone and was not able to identify the cell from which the call originated. Police are searching for Jadhav, said Fadnavis.

He also said a witness in the case, a certain Yogesh Bhalerao, has been given police protection after he provided videos of Kharat to the police. These videos depict Kharat performing ‘black magic” with the women, who he proceeded to sexually exploit.

More women come forward

The second complaint came from a woman who approached the Sarkarwada police in Nashik on March 17, alleging that she had been raped in Kharat’s office. She was told her husband could die if she didn’t cooperate, the FIR states.

An offence was registered under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013 and Kharat was arrested on March 18.

The Nashik police searched Kharat’s property and seized two laptops. His Sinnar farmhouse yielded a digital video recorder, in addition to property papers and bullets. Fadnavis said videos and pictures of victims on social media are being deleted by the police.

Fadnavis read out a list of Kharat’s properties being investigated. His chartered accountants, Prakash Pahade and Kiran Kataria, are being approached, while his driver and staff, and priests associated with him are being questioned.

When Kharat complained to the cops

Fadnavis said that, on December 29, 2025, Kharat had complained to the Nashik police that a certain Dinesh Parab had made a WhatsApp call to him and sent four images of Kharat along with a woman in a “view once” mode, to the self-styles godman. Parab threatened to circulate the images on social media, demanding ₹5 crore in return for withholding the images.

An FIR was registered and Kharat’s cell was examined but nothing incriminating was found. Parab was granted interim bail.