Nashik court remands ‘godman’ Kharat to police custody till April 26 in sixth sexual assault case

The court, held via video conferencing for security reasons, granted the SIT custody of Kharat and produced him in the sixth case. The Chief Judicial Magistrate B N Ichpurani remanded him to police custody till April 26. The police sought a four-day custody. Prosecution stated that the accused had sedated the victim with water and raped her, and that he also made her perform rituals. The SIT said the case requires probing the financial angle and noted differences across cases; SIT officer Ravindra Manjre defended the inquiry.

The Special Investigation Team filed a request application in the Nashik court seeking custody of Kharat in the sixth sexual exploitation case.

Nashik-based self-styled godman Ashok Kharat was arrested. He is accused of sexually exploiting several women and indulging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming divine powers and knowledge of black magic.