Kharat used to frighten people with a 20-foot-long remote-controlled fake snake and fake tiger skin, and also cheat them by buying tamarind seeds for Rs 100 per kg and selling them as gems for Rs 10,000 after getting them polished, said the police. Photo: X screengrab | @uniindianews
Nashik ‘godman’ Kharat faces fresh rape charges as police uncover web of exploitation
Two new cases add to mounting allegations against Ashok Kharat, with investigators probing black magic claims, fraud, and evidence from seized CCTV footage
Two more cases have been registered in Maharashtra's Nashik district against self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, who was held on March 18 after a woman accused him of repeated rape over a period of three years, a police official said on Monday (March 23).
New cases
The new cases are in connection with his alleged sexual exploitation of a seven-month pregnant woman and another woman on the pretext of getting her remarried, the official informed.
"The pregnant woman was raped by Kharat in his Canada Corner office between November 2023 and December 2025 after promising to carry out rituals so that she has healthy children. A case was registered on her complaint under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act," the official said.
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The second case is on the complaint of a woman who said she and her kin first met Kharat in 2013 to fix her marriage, the official said.
"Even after the complainant got married, Kharat continued to exploit her. After her marriage ended, Kharat contacted her claiming he could get her remarried. He continued to rape her. She lodged a complaint on March 21. In all, three cases have been registered against Kharat in Sarkarwada police station," the official said.
Police probe has found Kharat used to frighten people with a 20-foot-long remote-controlled fake snake and fake tiger skin, and also cheat them by buying tamarind seeds for Rs 100 per kg and selling them as gems for Rs 10,000 after getting them polished, the official said.
CCTV evidence
Sources said an employee of Kharat fixed CCTV cameras in his office to catch him red-handed, adding that this person later handed over the evidence he had gathered against the self-styled godman to police. The police have seized CCTV DVRs from Kharat's Mirgaon farmhouse, Tikde Colony bungalow, and Canada Corner office as part of the probe into the case.
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A video has gone viral of Kharat mouthing the Nashik police's slogan 'Nashik Zilla, Kaydyacha Balekilla (Nashik district, bastion of law)' in a weak voice when he was brought for interrogation on Sunday (March 22).
Speaking in the assembly on Monday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said police acted proactively in arresting Kharat, and asserted more victims are expected to come forward as confidence in the investigation grows.
(With agency inputs)