Maharashtra 'godman' Kharat depicted himself as Shiva's incarnation, operated extortion racket: ED

A self-proclaimed Maharashtra godman, Ashok Kharat, has been arrested for allegedly operating a systematic extortion racket under the guise of religious and spiritual practices.

Self-proclaimed Maharashtra godman Ashok Kharat portrayed himself as an incarnation of Lord Shiva and claimed possession of supernatural powers for ''extorting'' money and valuable assets from his victims by creating fear of death and black magic, the ED alleged on Thursday.

Kharat alias 'Captain' was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on May 19 while he was in police custody.

According to the agency, probe found that Kharat operated a ''systematic extortion racket'' under the guise of religious and spiritual practices.

''The accused allegedly portrayed himself as an incarnation of Lord Shiva, claiming possession of supernatural powers and divine knowledge, and created fear of death and black magic amongst victims through staged rituals, deceptive practices, and emotional manipulation.

''By adopting such modus operandi, the accused allegedly extorted substantial amounts of money and valuable assets from victims under the guise of 'Avatar Pooja', religious remedies, and spiritual guidance,'' it said in a statement.

In one such instance, the ED said, Kharat is alleged to have extorted Rs 5.62 crore from a complainant in the form of purchase of a Mercedes vehicle, foreign trips, medical treatment in the United States, and development of farmhouses.

The agency said ''proceeds of crime'' generated by the controversial 'godman' were ''layered'' and ''laundered'' through multiple bank accounts, cooperative credit societies (Pat Sansthas), movable and immovable properties and proxy accounts opened in the names of various individuals without their knowledge or consent.

Kharat is accused of operating several benami accounts and fixed deposits through two cooperative credit societies, where large amounts of cash were deposited, converted into fixed deposits, and subsequently withdrawn in cash.

He ''exercised control'' over such accounts through the use of his own mobile number and nominee details and allegedly utilised the alleged illicit funds for acquiring movable and immovable properties, the agency alleged.

The ED seized cash of Rs 13.92 crore, USD 5,500 (about Rs 5.11 lakh) and jewellery worth Rs 1.12 crore apart from freezing bank deposits of Rs 2.25 crore and a Mercedes car after it conducted raids against Kharat, his family members and some others linked to him, multiple times between April and May.

The money laundering case stems from multiple Maharashtra Police FIRs, including one filed in his hometown, Nashik.

Kharat was first arrested by the Nashik police on March 18 after a married woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years.