The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of rape, human sacrifice and black magic against arrested merchant navy officer-turned-self-proclaimed astrologer and divine man Ashok Kharat on Sunday (March 22, 2026) questioned the priest of the Ishaneshwar Mahadev temple, with which the accused is associated, and watchmen in Nashik.
A day earlier, an employee of Kharat’s office was interrogated for more than seven hours by the SIT led by Indian police officer Tejaswini Satpute, they added.
Kharat was arrested on March 18 for rape and other offenses based on a complaint by a 35-year-old woman. She claimed that Kharat raped her several times over three years.
Since then, investigations have revealed the alleged power Kharat wielded among a group of political leaders, as well as transactions involving land in Sinnar and some other areas in Nashik district.
“On Sunday (March 22), the SIT team questioned Pramod Gadakh, house priest of the Ishaneshwar Mahadev temple in Mirgaon, and a watchman. On Saturday (March 21), they questioned Neeraj Jadhav, an employee of Kharat’s office, for seven hours in connection with a case registered at the Shirdi police station,” the official said.
The official said CCTV DVRs were seized as part of the investigation from Kharat’s Mirgaon farm, Tikde Colony bungalow and Canada Corner office.
The official said Kharat is named in several cases filed at Vavi, Shirdi and Sarkarwada police stations for alleged extortion, extortion, rape and black magic practices.
He was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act and the Information Technology Act for allegedly threatening to circulate the photos of the 24-year-old woman, the official said.
The case registered at the Sarkarwada police station is based on a complaint by a woman accusing Kharat of rape, human sacrifice and black magic. He was booked under the BNS and Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other inhumane, evil and aghori practices Act, the official added.
Incidentally, Kharat himself filed a complaint against two persons at the Vavi police station accusing them of blackmailing him for obscene photographs. A case has been registered under the BNS and IT Act, the official said.
Investigators are reaching out to potential victims and more cases are expected to be registered against Kharat in the coming days, he said.
Sources in Nashik said three women approached the police. Accused Kharat and his relatives were in possession of documents of 52 properties, they added.
In a related development, Minister of State for Water Resources Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Saturday (March 21) revoked the Government Resolution (GR) 2020 allowing the Kharat-connected Shivanik Sansthan trust in Mirgaon to lift 3.9 million liters of water daily from the Darna dam for “drinking purposes”. It is said that Kharat diverted this water to his mango orchards.
Vikhe Patil also ordered an inquiry into GR’s predecessor, which resulted in Kharat’s trust getting water from the dam.
Meanwhile, officials said residents of Kharat’s native Mirgaon are angry at how the village’s reputation has been “tarnished”, with some of them demanding “capital punishment” for the accused.
They also sought to seize Kharat’s property and hand over the temple run by his wards to the residents.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that a high-level investigation under the Director General of Police (DGP) is underway in the case involving Kharat and asserted that no one will be spared.
Mr. Fadnavis further said that while efforts are being made to politicize the case, people who have evidence to support their claims should come forward and cooperate with the police.
Published – 22 March 2026 18:05 IST
