Nashik

A court in Nashik has remanded self-styled astrologer and godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 29 in the seventh sexual exploitation case registered against him.

Kharat, a former Merchant Navy officer arrested on March 18, is accused of sexually exploiting several women and engaging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming divine powers and knowledge of black magic.

According to investigators, in the seventh case Kharat allegedly sexually exploited a married woman who had approached him seeking solutions to family problems. Police said he allegedly gave her something to drink, assaulted her while her husband waited outside his office, and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the incident.

The Special Investigation Team probing 12 cases of alleged sexual exploitation and financial fraud in Nashik and Ahilyanagar sought his custody in court on Sunday.

Kharat was produced through virtual hearing on Monday. The prosecution requested six days of police custody, citing the discovery of a locker at his residence from which police recovered two blank cheques and other documents requiring further investigation.

The court granted three days of police custody till April 29.

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Kharat has also become the centre of political controversy, with photographs of him alongside political leaders and prominent figures circulating in mainstream and social media since his arrest.