Mumbai, May 26 A special PMLA court here on Tuesday remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat to 14-day judicial custody in a money laundering case.
Kharat, already facing rape and fraud charges, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week, under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
He was produced before the special court on Tuesday at the end of his earlier remand.
The central probe agency told the court that further custody of Ashok Kharat is not required for now, but if required, they will seek his custody in future.
The court then remanded the accused to judicial custody.
The probe agency has alleged that Kharat was the mastermind and primary beneficiary of over Rs 47 crore laundered money under investigation.
The ED filed a case against Kharat under the PMLA on April 6, taking cognisance of a Nashik Police FIR registered against him on charges of extortion, religious manipulation, and drug-facilitated assault on multiple women victims.
The financial crime investigation agency has accused Kharat of orchestrating a massive extortion racket and money laundering through a web of 'benami' bank accounts.
Benami bank accounts are those held in one person's name, while the money is provided or legally owned by another individual.
The ED found that Kharat clandestinely opened 60 separate bank accounts at the Samata Nagari Cooperative Credit Society in Rahata using the documents of his devotees without their consent.
The probe agency claimed that 43 of these accounts were opened on a single day in May 2021. Across these 60 accounts, Kharat systematically rotated more than Rs 47.74 crore in cash transactions between 2021 and 2026, it alleged.
As per the probe agency, Kharat generated proceeds of crime through systematic extortion and religious manipulation. Thereafter, he layered the said proceeds through a sophisticated network of benami bank accounts, cooperative credit societies, and family members' accounts, it claimed.
The ED's probe also showed Kharat utilised the proceeds of crime to acquire various immovable properties in his and his family members' names, including through cash payments, thereby integrating the laundered funds into legitimate-appearing assets.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is conducting a probe into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts.
