The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches at multiple premises in Maharashtra as part of a money laundering investigation against controversial self-styled godman Ashok Kharat and entities linked to him, officials said.
Five premises in Kharat's home town Nashik and three each in Pune and Shirdi have been raided. Residential and commercial premises linked to Kharat, his chartered accountant (CA) Prakash Pophale, Kharat's relatives and some cooperative credit society branches are being covered, they said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a criminal case against Kharat under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 6, taking cognisance of a Nashik police FIR filed against him on charges including extortion, religious manipulation and drug-facilitated assault on multiple women.
Officials in the federal agency said they are specifically looking to gather evidence to determine if Kharat and his associates laundered illicit funds for personal gains.
The Maharashtra government has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) of police officials to investigate the self-styled godman-cum-astrologer's alleged criminal acts and financial dealings. The police have filed about a dozen FIRs against him so far.
The controversial man was arrested by the Nashik police in March after a married woman accused him of repeatedly raping her over three years. He is currently in a Nashik jail.
ED officials said Kharat opened multiple bank accounts with two cooperative credit societies located in Nashik district in the name of third parties.
They said he was named as the "nominee" in these bank accounts and had linked his mobile number to control their operations.
Preliminary probe shows that he sold common items as "blessed items" by claiming they possessed divine healing powers. The money so collected from the victims and through the "extortion" operations, has been invested in various lands through his CA, they said.
Photos of Kharat with prominent politicians and purported videos of his criminal acts with women were circulated online widely over the last few weeks, causing a political controversy in Mahasrahstra.
The police SIT alleged that Kharat sexually exploited women by claiming that he possessed "divine power" and would use it to cause the death of their family members or defame them if they didn't comply.
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