Why ED seeks custody of Ashok Kharat in money laundering probe

May 1, 2026 Headlinesnews

3 min readMumbaiMay 1, 2026 09:14 PM IST

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to be next in line to seek custody of self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, as the agency has moved special court in Mumbai to request his production before the court to arrest him. Kharat was arrested in March following multiple complaints of sexual assault and has been in the custody of various police stations since. The ED also conducted searches and raids on entities linked to him.

This week, the ED sought that a production warrant be issued, directing that Kharat be brought before the special court, stating that his arrest is necessary in a probe of money-laundering, allegedly committed by him. “Production of Mr Ashok Kharat is also necessary to identify the ultimate beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime who have acquired, possessed and utilised the proceeds of crime. Further, he is the main person who extorted the money from the victims spanning across Maharashtra through religious manipulation….” the ED plea said.

It said that money collected from victims was invested in real estate either in his own name or of that of his family members. The ED told the court that in searches conducted in April at Kharat’s residential and office premises, documents related to real estate businesses and properties were found and are being scrutinised to trace the money trail. The ED also alleged Kharat had extorted huge amounts of money from his “devotees/victims”, and his custody was needed to investigate others linked with him.

In the probe against Kharat so far, it has been alleged that he had opened 60 bank accounts in the names of various individuals with his own mobile number linked to them, and with him as the sole nominee. The ED plea said that the probe showed Kharat got 43 accounts opened in one day with a co-operative credit society in 2021. These accounts were opened using documents of “devotees” and others, without their consent, with transactions of more than Rs 70 crore seen in them, the ED alleged.

The other FIRs against Kharat claim victims were duped through deceptive practices and claims of sale of items having “divine healing powers”, like wild tamarind seeds, sold at a high value. The court is likely to hear the plea on Saturday.

Sadaf Modak is a distinguished Legal Correspondent based in Mumbai whose work demonstrates exceptional Expertise and Authority in covering the intricacies of the judicial and correctional systems. Reporting for The Indian Express, she is a highly Trustworthy source for in-depth coverage of courtroom proceedings and human rights issues.
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