Court remands astrologer Kharat in Shirdi police custody till May 9 in cheating and money lending case

Nashik: The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class P S Girgaonkar on Tuesday remanded Ashok Kharat in police custody until May 9 in connection with a cheating case registered against him at the Shirdi police station on March 31.Following a complaint from a farmer, the Shirdi police had registered a case for offences punishable under BNS sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(2) (cheating), as well as section 39 (penalty for money lending without a valid license) of the Maharashtra Money Lending (Regulation) Act, 2014.Kharat, who was already in the custody of a state-appointed Special Investigation Team probing a string of alleged sexual assaults, black magic, and extortion cases was detained by the Shirdi police on Monday regarding this specific case.The 55-year-old complainant farmer from Ahilyanagar's Rahata had sought a loan from Kharat to clear prior debts. In Aug 2023, the complainant entered an agreement with Kharat to receive Rs 5.5 crore. As security, the farmer was required to execute a sale deed for approximately four acres in Nighoj, valued at Rs 10 crore. Simultaneously, an MOU and an agreement to sell were signed, including a clause allowing the farmer to buy back his land by Aug 2024 for a total of Rs 6.07 crore.The complainant alleged that he initially provided a cheque of Rs 51 lakh as an advance toward the repurchase. However, over the following months, he was allegedly forced to pay additional interest amounts of Rs 90 lakh, Rs 25 lakh, and Rs 50 lakh through Kharat's associates. When the farmer attempted to settle the remaining balance to reclaim his land, Kharat allegedly stopped answering calls and closed his Nashik-based office.Sub-inspector Nivant Jadhav, of the Shirdi police station, who is also the investigating officer, told TOI, "Kharat's custody was sought as the source of the Rs 5.5 crore he had transferred into the complainant's account needs to be investigated. It is a huge amount. We also want to investigate the money lending angle, among other things. We want to question the astrologer about his wife Kalpana's whereabouts as well."The investigating officer said custodial interrogation was also necessary to determine if others were involved in the illegal money lending and cheating operation of Kharat and the co-accused.