Ashok Kharat case: Self-styled godman's wife, associate killed in car accident at Samruddhi Expressway; son injured

The accident took place at around 12 pm near Dhotre village. Representational Pic

Jailed self-styled godman Ashok Kharat's wife and a close associate were killed while his son was injured after their car rammed into a stationary container truck on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar district on Friday, police officials said.

According to PTI, the deceased were identified as Jitendra Shelke (55) and his wife Anuradha (50), an official said, adding that their son sustained serious injuries in the accident.

Link to godman

Shelke was a close associate of Nashik-based godman Kharat, who has been arrested on charges of rape and fraud, among others. Shelke was Kharat's business partner and also the vice-president of the Shivanika Trust set up by the ‘godman', the official added.

Accident near Dhotre village

The accident took place at around 12 pm near Dhotre village under the jurisdiction of the Kopargaon Police Station in the western Maharashtra district, around 250 km from Mumbai, he said.

Shelke, who was driving the car, was travelling with his wife and son from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Thane via the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway. As the car reached Dhotre, he allegedly lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a container truck parked on the roadside, the official said.

Declared dead on arrival

All three suffered grievous injuries in the crash and were rushed to a local hospital, where Shelke and his wife were declared dead on arrival, he added.

The couple's son is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Case registered, probe underway

A case of accidental death has been registered at the Kopargaon Police Station.

With the help of authorities such as the RTO and automobile experts, police will conduct a crash analysis to determine the cause of the fatal accident, said Somnath Gharge, Superintendent of Police, Ahilyanagar.

ED conducts fresh raids in Maharashtra's Nashik

Earlier today, Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out fresh searches in Nashik district as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation involving controversial self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, reported the PTI.

Officials stated that a property linked to Kharat in Sharanpur town was raided, where documents and electronic devices are currently under scrutiny.

This marks the second phase of action after initial searches on April 13 across residential and commercial premises tied to Kharat, his chartered accountant Prakash Pophale, family members, and several cooperative credit societies. During those operations, authorities seized Rs 42 lakh in cash and froze assets worth Rs 2.4 crore. The ownership of these assets remains unclear, according to the PTI.

The ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 6, based on a Nashik police FIR. The charges include extortion, religious exploitation, and alleged drug-facilitated sexual assault involving multiple women, the news agency reported.

(With PTI inputs)