PUNE/NASHIK: A Nashik court on Sunday extended the police custody of arrested self-styled ‘godman’ Ashok Kharat till April 1 after investigators informed the court that crucial mobile data retrieved by the state forensic science laboratory is yet to be analysed.
Kharat was arrested on March 18 following a complaint by a married woman who alleged that she was sexually abused by him over a period of three years, from November 2022. To date, ten FIRs, eight for alleged sexual assault or exploitation and two for cheating, have been registered against him.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) produced Kharat before additional chief judicial magistrate MV Bharade, seeking further custody to examine the cloned data from his mobile phone and to probe his alleged financial dealings and network of associates.
The state forensic science laboratory has retrieved and cloned the data from Kharat’s mobile phone and shared it with the SIT, the prosecution told the court, adding that the accused needs to be questioned in connection with the findings.
Arguing for the extension of police custody, assistant public prosecutor Shailendra Bagade said the SIT needs to analyse the mobile data in Kharat’s presence and verify details related to his communications and activities.
{{/usCountry}}Arguing for the extension of police custody, assistant public prosecutor Shailendra Bagade said the SIT needs to analyse the mobile data in Kharat’s presence and verify details related to his communications and activities.
{{/usCountry}}“The forensic lab has shared the cloned mobile data. The SIT needs to interrogate Kharat to ascertain the details emerging from it,” Bagade told the court. The prosecution further submitted that investigators have yet to gather complete information about Kharat’s movable and immovable assets, allegedly amassed through the practice of “bogus” astrology.
“The investigators need to find out whether he has benami assets and identify the aides who may have assisted him in his activities. He has not yet disclosed details of his financial transactions or information about other possible victims,” Bagade said.
The prosecution also placed before the court allegations regarding Kharat’s alleged modus operandi. According to Bagade, Kharat would offer sweets and salty water to women who visited him for consultations.
“After consuming them, the women would feel dizzy. He would then dim the lights in his chamber and sexually assault them. The investigators need to determine what substances were used and how they were procured,” he said.
SIT investigating officer Kiran Kumar Suryavanshi told the court that Kharat has not been cooperating with the investigation.
MY Kale, the advocate representing the complainant, said the allegations against Kharat are “extremely serious” and that probing such offences requires time.
Opposing further custody, defence counsel Sachin Bhate argued that Kharat has already been in police remand twice since his arrest and that his continued custodial interrogation is not necessary.
“The examination of mobile data does not require his physical presence,” Bhate submitted. After hearing both sides, the court extended Kharat’s police custody.