The incident reportedly took place between December 2025 and February this year, when the accused allegedly lured the minor to his house in Bhiwandi’s Nizampura area.
Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s family, police on Sunday registered a case against the accused. Representational Pic
Police have registered a case against a 58-year-old man for allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Thane district, officials said on Tuesday.
According to PTI, the incident reportedly took place between December 2025 and February this year, when the accused allegedly lured the minor to his house in Bhiwandi’s Nizampura area.
Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s family, police on Sunday registered a case against the accused under Sections 64 (rape) and 74 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.
No reason was specified for the delay in filing the complaint by the victim’s family.
Nashik police custody holds godman accused in multiple sexual exploitation cases
The arrest of ‘self-proclaimed godman’ from Nashik Ashok Kharat was a proactive move by the police, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. The CM stated that authorities used a complaint from another district to issue a Look-Out Circular (LOC), ensuring that Kharat could not flee. Fadnavis stated that will make a “detailed statement” in this case today.
The CM further noted that misleading women by claiming supernatural powers and subjecting them to psychological manipulation are extremely serious aspects of the case. Last week, following a complaint of sexual exploitation by a woman, Kharat was arrested by the Nashik police. The state government has since constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by IPS officer Tejaswini Satpute, to probe the case.
The case
Ashok Kharat, a self-proclaimed godman from Nashik, has been booked in multiple cases of sexual exploitation registered in the Nashik district. He was arrested on March 18 following a case registered based on a complaint filed by a woman who accused him of repeated rape over a period of three years. Investigators also found multiple videos featuring women on a pendrive in his possession. He is currently in police custody.
Political links
Followers of the self-proclaimed godman reportedly include politicians cutting across party lines, with pictures of leaders from various parties visiting Ashok Kharat surfacing and circulating widely on social media.
(With inputs from PTI)
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