Shopowner says Ishaneshwar Temple stands on land Kharat fraudulently took over; cheating FIR registered

Nashik: The Sinnar police have registered a case of cheating and violations under the Black Magic Act against astrologer Ashok Kharat, his wife Kalpana and three of their associates following a complaint by a 53-year-old grocery shopowner. With this, the number of cases against Kharat has risen to 13 so far.The complainant, Shivram Mali of Kundewadi village in Sinnar taluka submitted the complaint on April 8, alleging that Kharat fraudulently took over 16.5 acres of land in Mirgaon village in 2004 without paying anyth. "A portion of the Ishaneshwar Temple stands on this land, while Kharat's farmhouse has been constructed entirely on the property," Mali stated in his complaint. Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, against Ashok and Kalpana and their unidentified associates.The complainant told the police that his three brothers and their father had jointly purchased the land in Mirgaon in 1997 for Rs 15 lakh. "The family cultivated the land for four to five years but later decided to sell it due to difficulty in travelling between their native village Kundewadi and Mirgaon," the police said, citing the complaint.The family then approached Kharat, a property dealer, who allegedly manipulated them by claiming the land carried a bad omen and that retaining it would invite misfortune. Kharat then expressed interest in buying the land to construct a temple.In late 2003, Kharat and his associates visited the land and performed rituals. He returned in Jan 2004, confirmed his intent to buy it, and in Feb 2004 called the family to the Sinnar sub-registrar's office, to finalise the sale.The complainant alleged that all documents had already been prepared and the family was asked to sign them. Only afterward did they realise the land was valued at Rs 3.86 lakh, far below the Rs 15 lakh they had paid seven years earlier. When questioned, Kharat reportedly said nothing could be done since the deed was already signed.Mali further alleged that Kharat intimidated the family by claiming divine powers and threatening them with black magic. When the complainant and his brothers later visited Kharat's Nashik office to seek payment, they allegedly saw many followers seeking solutions to personal problems, reinforcing their belief in his supernatural influence. Despite repeated assurances, the family claimed they never received any money.Mali said he approached the police nearly 22 years later only after learning of Kharat's arrests in other land-grabbing and fraud cases.