Nashik, Mar 26 (PTI) Police have filed a fresh case against arrested self-styled godman Ashok Kharat after a Pune-based businessman accused him of cheating to the tune of Rs 6 crore on the pretext of helping him start a logistics business abroad, officials said on Thursday.
The complainant alleged that he sponsored the tours of Kharat to Myanmar, Greenland and the US, and gifted a Mercedes car to him as per his demand, besides giving Rs 2.5 crore for the construction of his farmhouse.
Kharat told the complainant that he will have to visit three countries to “gain energy” for the “avatarpuja” that needs to be conducted for the success of his business abroad. Kharat even set a demand of touring 21 countries in five years before him.
Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered against Kharat at the Sarkarwada police station in Nashik on Wednesday for cheating and under Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice, other Inhuman and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act. According to police, this is the eighth case to be registered against Kharat.
In his complaint, 51-year-old Rajendra Jasood, a resident of Hadapsar in Pune, said he came in contact with Kharat in 2018.
Jasood said he wanted to start a logistics business abroad, and one of his friends suggested him to meet Kharat for advice and suggestions. Accordingly, he met Kharat Nashik in June 2018 to meet Kharat and sought his blessings.
During the meeting, Kharat suggested that for the success of his business, an “avatarpuja” needed to be conducted. Kharat told Jasood that he will visit three countries and gain necessary energy and then perform the ‘avatarpuja’. He also sought a gift of a Mercedes car from him and said he will have to fund his tour of 21 countries in five years, it said.
Accordingly, Jasood arranged for Kharat’s Myanmar tour in December 2018 and Greenland tour in June-July 2019. After that, he also took Kharat to the US and spent around Rs 29.81 lakh on his journey and hospital expenses there, the FIR said.
Jasood also gifted a Mercedes car to Kharat. It was purchased from a showroom in Pune, for which he paid Rs 15 lakh cash and took Rs 75 lakh loan from a bank for it. In addition to it, Kharat took around Rs 2.5 crore from Jasood for the construction of his farmhouse, for its interior decoration and purchase of furniture, it said.
It included Rs 1.11 crore for construction (2019-2022) of the farmhouse, Rs 90 lakh for the purchase of furniture, Rs 42.50 lakh for kitchen interior in the house, Rs 29 lakh to purchase teak wood from Pune timber market. In all, he took around Rs 5 crore and a Mercedes car of Rs 90 lakh from him, as per the FIR.
When Jasood realised that he was being cheated, he asked Kharat to return the Mercedes car and the money spent on him. However, the ‘godman’ filed a case of Rs 5 crore ransom against Jasood at the Wavi police station in the district.
Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the state government to investigate cases against Kharat, on Thursday conducted searches at his office at Canada Corner, a posh locality in the city.
The SIT members were accompanied by a forensic team during the search operation.
Kharat (67), who hails from Kahandalwadi village in Sinnar taluka, was arrested on March 18 after a 35-year-old woman accused him of raping her over a period of three years. He is currently in police custody.
Officials said the SIT has found 100 objectionable videos and assets worth around Rs 1,500 crore related to Kharat. While the Income Tax department is investigating financial irregularities and property holdings of Kharat and people related to him, the cyber police are examining the videos. PTI COR NP
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