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Self-styled godman Ashok Kharat booked for ₹1 crore fraud; FIR count rises to 12
11 FIRs have been registered at Sarkarwada police station and one at Shirdi police station in Ahilyanagar.
Sarkarwada police have registered an FIR against the arrested self-styled godman Ashok Kharat for allegedly cheating a Sinnar-based onion trader of over ₹1 crore. The case was filed on Friday under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) following a complaint by Vishal Barke.
With this, the number of FIRs against Kharat in cases of alleged sexual abuse and cheating has risen to 12. Of these, 11 have been registered at Sarkarwada police station and one at Shirdi police station in Ahilyanagar.
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Kharat is currently in police custody in connection with a case involving alleged rape and forced termination of pregnancy of a married woman. The state government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the matter.
In his complaint, Barke alleged that in 2019, Kharat purchased a plot of land on the pretext of setting up an old-age home for ₹22.25 lakh, despite its market value being over ₹60 lakh. “Kharat did not construct any old age home and instead registered the land in the name of his daughter, Shrusthi,” Barke alleged.
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Barke further claimed that Kharat had asked him to arrange around 30 labourers for farm work, but failed to pay their wages. “He forced me to clear dues of about ₹2.5 lakh. He also sold me tamarind seeds for ₹15,000, claiming they would bring higher returns, which turned out to be false,” he said.
The trader also alleged that between 2023 and 2025, he paid Kharat ₹85 lakh in installments for a plot on Pathardi–Gaulane Road in Nashik. “Despite repeated requests, he did not transfer the land in my name. He also threatened to ruin my business by performing rituals and bringing bad omen,” Barke claimed.
