A court in Nashik on Sunday extended the police custody of 'godman' Ashok Kharat till April 1 in a rape case that has drawn multiple complaints.

Kharat, who ran a temple trust in Mirgaon and was known to have been visited by several Maharashtra politicians, was arrested on March 18 after a woman accused him of raping her repeatedly over three years.

So far, 10 FIRs have been registered at Sarkarwada police station - eight for alleged sexual assault or exploitation and two for cheating.

Police said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has received over 100 complaints in recent days, most of them from women. Kharat was produced before the court after his earlier custody ended. When asked, he said he had no complaints.

Public prosecutor Shailendra Bagde told the court the investigation was still ongoing and that the accused was not cooperating.

“The inquiry into the properties of the accused is still to be done. Many women are still coming forward to lodge complaints and the inquiry is yet to be done into the so-called "water" or liquid that Kharat used to give the victims to seduce them before sexually exploiting them,” he said.

He added that digital evidence was still being examined.

“The mobile phone data of the accused has been scanned, and a clone report has been received. An inquiry is to be conducted into whether he saved the names of his contacts -- especially political leaders-- with dummy identities and many digital evidences are yet to be checked,” Bagde told the court.

Arguing for more custody, he said, “The case is big and others will have to be brought before the accused for the inquiry. Investigators also have yet to determine whether any accomplices were involved in the crime. For all this, Kharat's three day-custody is needed.”

The SIT submitted Kharat’s laptops, mobile phone and documents in court. Officer Kirankumar Suryavanshi also briefed the court on the probe.

Defence lawyer Sachin Bhate opposed the plea, saying the SIT was repeating the same reasons given earlier. He questioned what progress had been made and argued there was no need to extend custody.

Lawyer M. Y. Kale, appearing for one of the victims, supported the prosecution. "The accused has not cooperated and the investigating agency cannot be held responsible for it," he said.

He added, "These allegations and crimes are very heinous and anti-social. They have the potential to devastate families and impact society at large. Therefore, considering the intricacy of the allegations, the demand for the police custody should be considered."

After hearing both sides, additional chief judicial magistrate (14th) M. V. Bharade extended Kharat’s police custody till April 1.