'35 videos of eight women': CM Fadnavis confirms Ashok Kharat drugged women to rape them

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Maharashtra Assembly that three women have agreed to lodge complaints and a total of six cases have been filed against self-styled godman Ashok Kharat for the alleged sexual assault and exploitation of women. Eight FIRs have been lodged so far, and all photos and videos related to the cases have been removed from social media, he said.

The Chief Minister confirmed that the accused used to spike the drinks offered to women devotees. Between February 2020 and 18 March, Kharat allegedly called a woman repeatedly to his office, made her consume "enchanted water", and sexually assaulted her under the guise of religious rituals.

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"She became pregnant, and Kharat later gave her pills for an abortion. He also threatened her," the news agency PTI quoted the CM as saying.

Fadnavis said that Kharat posed as a religious figure to exploit women and threatened those who he feared would speak out.

Fadnavis informed the Assembly that a lookout circular was issued against Kharat on 10 March to prevent him from leaving the country, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe the cases against him.

On 17 March, a woman lodged a complaint at the Sarkarwada police station in Nashik, alleging she was called to Kharat's office at the 'Canada Corner' building, given water, and later threatened with her husband's life before being raped multiple times, the CM maintained.

"Kharat was arrested on 17 March. During searches, police seized two laptops, one revolver, and 21 live cartridges, and found that he owned a farmhouse at Mirgaon in the Nashik district," Fadnavis said, adding that the probe against the 'godman' was formally handed over to the SIT on 19 March.

The media have been instructed to safeguard the identities of the complainants, and the police have found that as many as 35 videos of eight women were stored on a mobile handset belonging to one of Kharat's employees.