Nashik 'Godman' Arrested After Raping Woman for Three Years Under Religious Guise
Nashik police arrested retired Merchant Navy officer Ashok Kumar Kharat, known as "Captain," on Wednesday for allegedly raping a woman over three years while posing as an astrologer and using black magic to coerce her into silence. The 67-year-old accused is facing charges of repeated rape after he drugged the survivor with intoxicants under religious pretenses; she came forward only following enduring abuse, leading authorities to recover approximately five8 obscene videos stored on a pendrive from his residence in Nashik's Godman colony and remand him until March 24.
Key Points
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1A retired Merchant Navy officer named Ashok Kharat, known as 'Captain' or an astrologer/godman in Maharashtra politics circles.
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2Arrested on March 18 for allegedly raping a woman over three years while exploiting her through fear tactics and fake rituals involving intoxicants. Police claim he drugged the victim to assault her repeatedly between ages of roughly two decades (20-35).
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3Kharat built an alleged ₹200 crore property empire linked with politicians, businesspeople, celebrities using his influence as a numerologist.
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4A Special Investigation Team led by Tejaswi Satpute has been formed under the Maharashtra government to probe these serious allegations. Police recovered 58 obscene videos from him.
Developments
Police arrested self-proclaimed godman Ashok Kharat on Thursday after he allegedly drugged a 35-year-old married woman with intoxicants while using rituals, hypnotism, divine claims of power between November 2022 and December 2024 to rape her. Following the survivor's report led by Maharashtra government officials formed an SIT headed IPS officer Tejaswini Satpute for investigation into his alleged exploitation under religious practices involving political figures like Amit Shah
A 67-year-old retired Merchant Navy officer and astrologer named Ashok Kumar Kharat was remanded in police custody following his arrest for allegedly raping a complainant between 2019 and December 2025. The Nashik court processed the case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, with authorities stating that he exploited her faith to force rituals before physically assaulting her using numbing concoctions while threatening future marriage prospects if she resisted.
Nashik police have arrested self-styled 'godman' Ashok Kharat for allegedly raping a 35-year-old woman using drugs and hypnotism over three years. The investigation was triggered by the victim's report of abuse, which led to raids on his office where authorities recovered evidence including pen drives containing obscene videos threatening further victims were identified through forensic analysis