NASHIK: Self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, who is facing rape charges, allegedly opened more than 130 accounts in two cooperative credit societies in Maharashtra using different names and carried out transactions worth nearly Rs 63 crore over the past few years, a police official said.According to news agency PTI, one of the accounts was opened in the name of the sister of former Maharashtra State Women’s Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar, who resigned last month after her alleged links with Kharat surfaced following his arrest in Nashik.The details came to light during an ongoing probe by police in Ahilyanagar district in connection with a cheating case registered against Kharat, his wife Kalpana, and three others, the official said on Thursday.The case pertains to the Kharat couple, residents of Nashik district, who allegedly attempted to grab four acres of land in Shirdi after extending a loan of Rs 5.52 crore to the owner.Shirdi police have arrested two middlemen in the case and are searching for Kalpana and another accused.To prevent her from leaving the country, a Lookout Notice has been issued against Kalpana, Ahilyanagar Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge said.
Immigration officials at designated airports, seaports and land borders have been alerted in connection with the case, the official said.During the investigation into the cheating case registered in Shirdi, police found that Kharat had opened more than 130 accounts in two cooperative credit societies in Ahilyanagar district in the names of different individuals, superintendent of police Somnath Gharge said.These accounts recorded heavy transaction volumes over the past few years. In one credit society alone, transactions exceeded Rs 60 crore, while in the other, police have so far traced transactions of more than Rs 2.74 crore, he added.Gharge said Kharat, a former merchant navy officer, was listed as the nominee for all the accounts, with his mobile number registered as the contact in each case.Investigators also found that Kharat, who claimed to be an astrologer, was operating these accounts and depositing money received from people who visited him for consultations, another official said.In light of these findings, the Enforcement Directorate, which probes money laundering cases, is likely to step into the investigation, the official added.So far, at least 10 FIRs—eight related to alleged sexual assault or exploitation of women and two for cheating—have been registered against Kharat. He is currently being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government.The accused is in SIT custody till April 8.(With agency inputs)
