Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Mar 24: The self-styled godman and astrologer “Captain” Ashok Kharat, who was arrested from his farmhouse in Nashik last week and is at the centre of a major criminal investigation, may have dug his own grave by initially approaching the police with a complaint of being “blackmailed” using private images.
But as the police begun looking deeper into his complaint, the direction of the case changed completely. Initial checks by police and cyber experts did not find strong proof to support the blackmail claims. As the probe continued, new complaints started emerging from different places, raising serious questions about the activities of the self-styled godman.
During the investigation, disturbing evidence came to light. Videos and testimonies suggested that the accused allegedly misled women by claiming to have divine powers. He is accused of exploiting their faith and trust, calling them for rituals and then abusing them under various pretexts.
Many women were initially hesitant to speak due to fear and social pressure. Police later encouraged them with assurance of safety and support, after which multiple complaints were formally recorded. The case quickly expanded as more accounts surfaced.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was set up to handle the case. The team is now looking into all related complaints, digital evidence, and possible links to a larger network. Investigators have also begun examining the accused’s financial dealings. Properties, cash, electronic devices, and other assets have been seized during searches. Officials suspect large-scale illegal wealth accumulation and are checking bank records and transactions.
Authorities are also reviewing his foreign travel history and contacts to understand if the case has wider connections. There are concerns that more people could be linked to the network. The accused is currently in police custody, and multiple cases have been registered against him.
The investigation has revealed chilling details about his modus operandi and how he used threats to keep his heinous crimes under wraps. As more and more women come out to file complaints against Kharat, police are building a strong case against this conman, who used fear and superstition to build a massive empire and sexually abuse women.
The probe has revealed that Kharat created an occult ambience at his office with the use of props such as remote-controlled fake snakes and wildlife artefacts like tiger skins. Investigators have found that he would carefully assess his targets’ financial background, and then stoke their fears and promise miracles to dupe them of lakhs. Items that cost barely Rs 100 would be sold for nearly a lakh, as his clients urged him to find a way out of their problems.
A retired Merchant Navy officer who called himself ‘Captain’, Kharat also had political leaders and VVIPs among his clients, and these connections have now come under the spotlight as the probe deepens. He has been arrested and remanded in police custody. He faces multiple charges, including sexual assault, blackmail, fraud and illegal possession of arms. CCTV videos from his office have gone viral and cops suspect he used the recordings to blackmail women.
From a student to a pregnant woman, Kharat’s targets have shared shocking details about how he used threats to sexually assault them. A 28-year-old BSc student, who had resumed her education years after her wedding, would get a call from Kharat before every exam. The pretext was a blessing for the test. Kharat, she has alleged, threatened to tell her husband that she was having an affair and ruin her life if she refused to meet him. He also allegedly threatened to kill her and her husband. Out of fear, she complied and suffered repeated sexual assault between 2023 and December 2025, she has alleged.
One of the complainants has said she was seven months into her pregnancy when she went to Kharat for some rituals that he claimed would ensure a safe delivery and the birth of a male child. Her husband was made to wait outside. Kharat allegedly switched off the lights and assaulted her under the guise of chanting mantras. The trauma pushed her into depression, and she eventually told her husband about what she suffered. He then approached the police.
A woman said she approached Kharat in 2020, seven years into her marriage, over some marital problems. He claimed divine powers and then allegedly manipulated and molested her. After her divorce in 2021, he promised to marry her and threatened “divine wrath” if she rebuffed his sexual advances. He then raped her. Later, she became pregnant, and Kharat allegedly forced her to consume pills to terminate the pregnancy. She filed a complaint on March 18 after learning about the other survivors.
One of the survivors told the cops that Kharat allegedly made her drink “enchanted water” from a copper vessel during a ritual. He then asked her to stand with her eyes closed and assaulted her in a dark room. He allegedly threatened to harm her children if she spoke out.
In one case, a woman met Kharat with her parents and requested him to find a match that would ensure a stable life. He gained her trust through manipulation, repeatedly called her for rituals, made her consume “enchanted water” and assaulted her. He continued to call her after the wedding, and she endured the abuse out of fear that he could destroy her marital life.
One of the survivors the investigators have spoken to visited Kharat with relatives for a horoscope reading. He then started calling her and pressured her to visit his office. There, under the guise of performing rituals, he allegedly made her consume substances that made her dizzy before raping her. Threats kept her silent till she spoke out.
Investigators have also found that Kharat targeted students after assuring them that his rituals would improve their academic performance. Some survivors alleged that after assaulting them, Kharat pressured them to engage in sexual relations with his affluent connections.
