Lookout notice issued against Kharat’s wife after cops fail to trace her in relation to cheating case registered with Shirdi police

Nashik: Ahilyanagar police have issued a lookout circular (LOC) for Kalpana, the wife of astrologer Ashok Kharat, after failing to locate her in connection with a cheating case filed against her, Kharat, and three others at Shirdi police station on March 31.The police suspected that Kalpana might attempt to flee the country to evade arrest. Acting on this assessment, the Shirdi police sought approval from Ahilyanagar superintendent of police Somnath Gharge to issue the lookout notice. Subsequently, the SP on Thursday sent a formal communication to airport authorities to initiate the LOC, the police said.The Shirdi police have arrested two accused named in the FIR, Kiran Sonawane and Arvind Bavake, so far, while Kharat is in the custody of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing multiple cases registered against him. "Sonawane and Bavake were produced before a court in Ahilyanagar in connection with offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust and illegal money lending registered on March 31 against Kharat, Kalpana, the duo and another person. The court extended their police custody by three additional days," an officer said.The complainant in the case, a 55-year-old farmer from Rahata, has alleged that the astrologer usurped his four-acre land in Nighoj, worth around Rs 10 crore, under the pretext of a loan deal. Based on the FIR, Sonawane and Bavake were arrested on March 31 and remanded to police custody till Friday. During the hearing, special assistant public prosecutor G V Borde sought a further five-day extension of their custody, citing the complexity of the financial investigation.Borde informed the court that the investigation had revealed a conspiracy, in which the accused induced the complainant into a land transaction and collected around Rs 5.52 crore, which was allegedly misappropriated. He said multiple bank accounts were opened and operated across various banks and cooperative societies, through which large sums of money were transferred and diverted. The probe has also pointed to illegal money-lending activities conducted without a valid licence.Borde further submitted that continued custody was necessary to recover crucial documents, including bank records, cheque books, passbooks and electronic evidence related to the transactions. Investigators are also tracing the flow of more than Rs 5 crore transferred through various accounts and identifying beneficiaries.According to the Ahilyanagar police, more than 100 fake or ‘benami' bank accounts were under scrutiny. "Though the accounts were held in the names of different individuals, Ashok Kharat was listed as the nominee and his mobile number was linked to the accounts," another officer said.Transactions exceeding Rs 60 crore were routed through these accounts between 2021 and 2024, the police said, adding that investigations were on to determine where the money was ultimately transferred.