Kharat used divine power claims, fear of death to sexually exploit women: SIT | Mumbai News
4 min readNashikMay 14, 2026 12:34 AM IST
Threats of death, claims of “divine powers” and warnings of curses were allegedly used by self-styled godman Ashokkumar Kharat alias “Captain” to sexually exploit women, according to over 2,000 pages of chargesheets filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in two cases before a Nashik court.
The chargesheets filed before a Nashik Sessions Court within the mandatory 60-day period under provisions relating to crimes against women, detail statements from more than 105 witnesses and allege that Kharat used superstition, fear and psychological coercion to control followers and abuse women over several years.
The SIT has filed more than 2,000 pages of chargesheets in the first two cases registered with Nashik Police on March 17 and March 21, respectively. Police have recorded statements of over 105 witnesses and collected oral, physical, documentary, circumstantial and electronic evidence, officials said.
The Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) had ordered an SIT probe into the matter on March 20. Since then, the 24-member team comprising two deputy superintendents of police, three police inspectors, three assistant police inspectors, 10 sub-inspectors and six police personnel has been investigating 11 cases linked to Kharat.
The team includes SP Tejaswi Satpute, DySPs Amol Bharti and Kirankumar Suryavanshi, and senior police inspector Tripti Sonawane, among others.
According to investigators, Kharat exploited the religious faith of women and their families through rituals involving stones, rudraksha beads, pujas and other practices while claiming to possess supernatural powers.
Statements recorded by the SIT allegedly reveal that women were threatened with death, divine punishment or severe misfortune befalling their families if they refused him or disclosed his actions. Police said he also allegedly threatened victims with defamation and social humiliation while sexually exploiting them.
Story continues below this ad
Investigators have further said that Kharat staged supposed “miracles” at the Ishaneshwar temple premises in Sinnar. Taking advantage of darkness around the temple area and using sleight of hand, he allegedly projected himself as a man with supernatural abilities and spread superstition among followers.
Kharat is facing 17 cases across Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts. Nine of them, including eight related to sexual exploitation allegations and one cheating case, are being investigated by the SIT. Three cases are being probed by Ahilyanagar police, three by Nashik city police and two by Nashik rural police.
Police said two additional cases relate to alleged attempts to pressure complainants and witnesses. In one case, Kharat allegedly filed a false extortion complaint against a witness, while in another he allegedly pressured a complainant to register a case against a witness.
The remaining cases involve allegations under the anti-superstition law, cheating provisions and the Maharashtra Money Lending (Regulation) Act, 2014.
Story continues below this ad
Under provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) relating to crimes against women, police are required to file chargesheets within 60 days of registration of the offence. Officials said the first two chargesheets have now been submitted before the court and chargesheets in the remaining cases are expected to be filed in the coming days.
The SIT also said it has removed 13,175 objectionable social media links related to victims in the case with the assistance of Maharashtra Cyber. Additionally, 451 social media accounts accused of repeatedly circulating objectionable content have been permanently blocked. Two separate FIRs have also been registered over circulation of objectionable videos related to victims.
Police said Kharat remained in SIT custody for 49 days across different cases before being sent to judicial custody. He is currently under arrest in other cases as well.
Officials said that although chargesheets have been filed based on evidence collected so far, the investigation is continuing and supplementary chargesheets would be filed if additional evidence or witness statements emerge.
