Kamal Ghorui
NASHIK: A retired Merchant Navy officer who worked as an astrologer was remanded in police custody till March 24 by a Nashik court on Thursday, a day after his arrest for allegedly repeatedly raping a woman over more than three years.The accused, Ashok Kumar Kharat (67), popularly known as “captain”, was arrested by the Nashik city police on Wednesday following a complaint by a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her between 2022 and December 2025. He was taken into custody from his residence early in the morning and later produced before a court, which sent him to police custody.A case has been registered at Sarkarwada police station under sections 64 (punishment for rape) and 74 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013. The investigation is being handled by the crime branch.Police said Kharat, who is also the chairman of Shree Ishaneshwar Mahadev Temple Trust at Mirgaon in Sinnar taluka, allegedly exploited the complainant over several years. “The woman had first visited him in 2019 with a relative seeking guidance on finding a suitable marriage partner, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she could not follow up for some time. In 2022, after she found a marriage prospect, she approached him again. The astrologer gave her a pendant and instructed her never to remove it. She, however, took it off while appearing for an exam, and within a week, her marriage proposal fell through. With her faith in the astrologer deepening, he convinced her that he had ‘divine powers’ and forced her into performing rituals. He then allegedly raped her for the first time by giving her a concoction that caused numbness, later threatening that she would never get married if she resisted,” the complaint stated.Police added that even after the woman got married, Kharat allegedly continued to manipulate her. “This continued till Dec 2025,” officials said, citing the complaint, adding that he threatened her that her husband would die if she did not comply with his sexual demands.Investigators said they recovered some documents, a pistol and cartridges from his house in Mirgaon. Police also said 58 videos, including some objectionable clips, stored on a pen drive have been recovered from Kharat, as reported by news agency PTI.The state government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. The SIT is headed by Tejaswi Satpute, commandant of the State Reserve Police Force, Pune, who visited Nashik and interrogated the accused for over two hours on Thursday. In an order signed by Special IG Manoj Kumar Sharma, the director general of police’s office directed the SIT to conduct the investigation and submit regular progress reports. Satpute had also headed an SIT in a separate case involving the alleged suicide of a doctor in Satara’s Phaltan last year.A Nashik police officer said the probe is being carried out by the crime branch under the supervision of the SIT, with all relevant information being shared with the team. Police have also searched the accused’s residence in Nashik city and his farmhouse in Sinnar as part of the investigation.Minister of state for home Yogesh Kadam assured strict action and urged more victims to come forward. “I appeal to all women who may have complaints against the ‘astrologer’ to come forward. We will provide them protection and ensure stringent action against the accused. The matter should not be politicised. All measures will be taken to ensure women’s safety,” he said. He added that authorities would also examine whether the accused was promoting superstition or engaging in illegal practices. “We need to ascertain whether he was offering astrological services or spreading superstition. If any wrongdoing is found, that will also be investigated,” Kadam said.The case has also triggered a political row. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare alleged that several individuals in the government had links with the accused, specifically raising concerns about his association with Maharashtra State Commission for Women chairperson Rupali Chakankar. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Harshvardhan Sapkal said Chakankar should have “resigned”.Former MP Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati also demanded action, saying, “This is a highly sensitive issue, and I am surprised that Chakankar has not submitted her resignation yet. CM Devendra Fadnavis should take strict action against her and, if necessary, remove her from the post.”Chakankar, however, denied any knowledge of the accused’s personal life or the allegations. “Whatever allegations have been made will be investigated impartially by the police. I have full faith in the investigation,” she said in a social media post. Efforts to contact her for further comment remained unanswered till the time of going to press.(With PTI inputs)
