Ashok Kharat self proclaimed—”Captain Kharat”, godman, seer, and according to a complaint lodged with Nashik police, a serial rapist—was arrested and produced before the Nashik District Sessions Court on 18 March, he was remanded in police custody for seven days. He has been booked under sections 64 (rape) and 74 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and under provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.Investigators also found 58 videos featuring women on a pendrive in his possession. He is currently in police custody.The FIR, lodged by a 35-year-old woman at Sarkarwada Police Station in Nashik, alleges that Kharat gained her trust by claiming divine powers. He allegedly summoned her to his city office and sexually assaulted her after giving her intoxicating drinks. The abuse, she alleged, continued from 2022 to December 2025.

Meanwhile Rupali Chakankar quickly distanced herself from Kharat: “The Shivnika Sansthan Trust is the Trust of the Mahadev Devsthan, and occasionally social programmes are held there. Therefore, in connection with that, many of us had become associated with the Trust’s activities. This included many respected individuals from the society,” she wrote on Twitter shortly after his arrest.Kharat’s arrest has given the Opposition a target:Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sakpal shared images of Kharat alongside Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Eknath Shinde, and Rupali Chakankar in a message addressed directly to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis: “Captain Ashok Kharat, this rapist astrologer, has a close connection with your Bhartiya Janata Party and the Mahayuti government. You’ve kept many fools like him around for your own selfish interests. Now, don’t make the mistake of trying to save him either.”Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut described the case as “The Epstein File of Maharashtra”, reposting activist Vijay Kumbhar, who framed the arrest as the unravelling of an elite protection racket.

In November 2022—five months after Eknath Shinde broke with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena to stake out his own claim to the party—the then chief minister made the journey to Mirgaon. He was accompanied by his wife, then Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and then Primary Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar. A photograph of the visit was widely circulated on social media. Kesarkar spoke to NH about the clarification of the visit, He said, “Captain Kharat has an Ishanyeshwar temple. Shinde sir had donated for a cowshed there and Kharat approached Sir that he wanted Shinde sir to visit the site and inspect before the construction work began.”

Asked about the case, BJP’s state spokesperson Navnath Ban told GPN the case is under investigation and the party will not protect any person found guilty. “This is about the protection of women. The party will let the police conduct their investigation independently and will not protect any persons found guilty,” he said.

ACTUALLY HOW THE CASE UNFOLDED AND CAME TO LIMELIGHT (GPN INVESTIGATION):

Ashok Kharat, who had earlier filed a complaint claiming he was being threatened for extortion, has himself now become an आरोपी (accused) in a serious crime within just a few months. After filing a police complaint on December 29, 2025, Kharat was arrested on March 18, 2026—revealing the complexity of the entire case.

According to initial information, Kharat had filed a complaint at Wavi Police Station in Sinnar on December 29. He alleged that Rajendra Jassud from Pune and Dinesh Parab from Mumbai were demanding Rs 5 crore from him by threatening to expose photos of women. Police registered a case and began investigation, but as the probe progressed, the narrative started to change.

Kharat’s trusted office boy and assistant, Neeraj Jadhav, along with accomplices, allegedly demanded Rs 5 crore from Kharat in exchange for certain video clips. However, instead of complying, Kharat filed a complaint accusing them of extortion. After failing to get money from Kharat, Neeraj allegedly began targeting the victim women directly.

In one case, Neeraj and others reportedly sent morphed photos and videos of a 24-year-old married woman from Shirdi to her via WhatsApp and threatened her. He even approached her at a temple and showed her the videos. Frightened, she informed Kharat, but he allegedly told her to go to the police instead of helping her.

When hopes of getting money from Kharat faded, Neeraj allegedly sent a video of a 28-year-old married woman from CIDCO to her brother-in-law. This move backfired, as the woman, encouraged by her relative, approached Sarkarwada Police Station and filed a complaint, exposing Kharat’s alleged misconduct.

Meanwhile, on March 12, 2026, a young woman in Shirdi filed a complaint against Neeraj Jadhav for threatening to make obscene photos viral. Following this, police intensified the investigation, and multiple links began to emerge. During the probe, it surfaced that the same women Kharat claimed were being used for extortion may have actually been exploited by him.

Against this backdrop, Nashik Police arrested Ashok Kharat on March 18, 2026.

Further investigation suggests that Kharat allegedly lured women by promising divine powers, rituals, and spiritual remedies. He would gain their trust, allegedly administer intoxicating substances, and then sexually assault them. It has been revealed that there are as many as 58 video clips related to such acts, making the case even more serious.

Police have conducted raids at Kharat’s house and farmhouse and seized important evidence. Considering the gravity of the case, the investigation has been handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT). On March 19, IPS officer Tejaswi Satpute arrived in Nashik and interrogated Kharat for two hours.

Ashok Kharat, a resident of Mirgaon in Sinnar taluka, is the अध्यक्ष (president) of the Shri Ishanyeshwar Temple Trust and is a retired Merchant Navy officer. Known as a numerologist, he reportedly traveled to 154 countries during his 22-year career, studying various cultures, traditions, and religious practices. Many prominent politicians, celebrities, and businesspersons were reportedly in contact with him for predictions and guidance.

The arrest of self-proclaimed “Captain” Ashok Kharat on serious rape charges has created a major stir in Nashik. Another shocking aspect of the case is that his close aide and office boy, Neeraj Jadhav, is suspected to be the mastermind behind monetizing the exploitation by attempting to blackmail using videos of 58 women.

At Kharat’s office, ‘Ojas Properties’ at Canada Corner in Nashik, videos, morphed clips, photos, and CCTV evidence of alleged abuse were stored. In December 2025, Neeraj allegedly stole this footage without Kharat’s knowledge and began blackmailing him for money.As the case appears to have links to influential politicians, ministers, and celebrities, Special Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Manojkumar Sharma ordered the formation of an SIT. The team is being led by IPS officer Tejaswi Satpute, who has taken charge of the investigation. Neeraj Jadhav has also been taken into custody by the SIT and Shirdi Police, and further investigation is underway.

THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT: SMT. RUPALI NILESH CHAKANKAR, Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women’s Commissios, RESIGNED – When team GPN contacted she said, “Today, I submitted my resignation from the position of Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women’s Commission to the National President of the Nationalist Congress Party, our leader, and the Honorable Deputy Chief Minister of the state, respected Sunetra Tai. In light of the allegations currently being made through various media, I have decided to tender this resignation, accepting moral responsibility so that a fair and transparent investigation can take place. In this regard, respected Sunetra Tai will take the appropriate decision! I will soon present my detailed stance on this matter.” Later she tweeted on X.