Ashok Kharat alias ‘Bhondu Baba’, accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 35-year-old woman over several years on the pretext of spiritual guidance, produced before a Nashik court. File. | Photo credit: ANI
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing rape accused self-proclaimed godman Ashok Kharat, has detained his son from Nashik city for questioning and is also searching for his wife, police said.
At least 10 FIRs, eight for alleged sexual assault or exploitation and two for cheating, have been registered against Mr. Kharat at the Sarkarwada police station in Nashik, while the SIT has received over 100 complaints against him over phone.
The SIT team reached Mr Kharat’s house at Karmayogi Nagar in Nashik on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) and arrested his son Harshvardhan. He was then taken to the Maharashtra Police Academy (MPA) for questioning, police sources said.
Investigators were trying to track down Mr Kharat Ma’s wife. Kalpana. However, the SIT team failed to find her at the residence and their son was detained, they said.
Mr Kharat’s police custody ends on Wednesday (April 1, 2026), after which he will be produced in a local court.
Meanwhile, the police in neighboring Ahilyanagar district on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) registered a case against five persons, including Mr. Kharat’s wife, for cheating the landowner of more than ₹ 4 crore, officials said.
Police in the temple town of Shirdi have arrested two accused in this connection. Kharat’s wife is absconding and efforts are on to trace her, the official said.
“A land owner from Shirdi took an unsecured loan of ₹ 5.52 million against four acres of land from Kharat’s wife. He repaid around ₹ 1.5 million, but Kharat allegedly tried to take possession of the land. The owner then filed a police complaint, following which a case was registered for fraud and under the Money Laundering Act.
The two arrested persons have been identified as Arvind Bawake and Kiran Sonawane, he said, adding that Mr. Kharat, his wife and a middleman are accused in the case.
Published – 01 Apr 2026 11:46 IST
