Nashik, March 26 Police have filed a fresh case against arrested self-proclaimed godman Ashok Kharat after a Pune-based businessman accused him of cheating him out of Rs 6 crore by promising to help him start a logistics business abroad, officials said on Thursday.
The complainant alleged that he sponsored Kharat's trips to Myanmar, Greenland, and the US, and gifted him a Mercedes car as per his demand, in addition to giving him Rs 2.5 crore for the construction of his farmhouse.
Kharat told the complainant that he would have to visit three countries to "gain energy" for the "avatar puja" that needed to be conducted for the success of his business abroad. Kharat even demanded that he tour 21 countries in five years.
Based on his complaint, an FIR was registered against Kharat at the Sarkarwada police station in Nashik on Wednesday for cheating and under the 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 into contact with Kharat in 2018.
Jasood said he wanted to start a logistics business abroad, and one of his friends suggested he meet Kharat for advice and suggestions. Accordingly, he met Kharat in Nashik in June 2018 to seek his blessings.
During the meeting, Kharat suggested that an "avatar puja" needed to be conducted for the success of his business. Kharat told Jasood that he would visit three countries and gain the necessary energy, and then perform the "avatar puja". He also requested a Mercedes car as a gift and said he would fund his five-year tour of 21 countries, it said.
Accordingly, Jasood arranged for Kharat's Myanmar tour in December 2018 and his 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 in cash and took a loan of Rs 75 lakh from a bank for it. In addition, 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.
This included Rs 1.11 crore for the farmhouse construction (2019-2022), Rs 90 lakh for the purchase of furniture, Rs 42.50 lakh for the kitchen interior in the house, and Rs 29 lakh for purchasing teak wood from a Pune timber market. In all, he took around Rs 5 crore and a Mercedes car worth Rs 90 lakh from him, according to the FIR.
When Jasood realized 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 demanding a ransom of Rs 5 crore 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, conducted searches at his office at Canada Corner, a posh locality in the city, on Thursday.
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.