The Rahata Court on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) remanded Ashok Kharat, the prime accused in a land purchase scam in Shirdi and in a case involving fraudulent accounts at the Samata Credit Society, to police custody until May 9. The Shirdi police had taken him into custody from Nashik on Monday (May 4, 2026) night.

The police produced Mr. Kharat before the Rahata Court on Tuesday under security. The court granted police custody till May 9. The investigating officer, Police Sub-Inspector Nivanta Jadhav, sought a seven-day remand. Mr. Jadhav stated that Mr. Kharat acquired land belonging to the complainant, Raosaheb Gondkar, through a sale deed at an undervalued price and paid the complainant money at an interest rate of 2% per month.

The investigation seeks to determine the source of the ₹5.52 crore used for lending and for the land acquisition. It also aims to ascertain whether the financial transactions conducted through the bank accounts of Mr. Kharat and his wife, Kalpana Kharat, were disclosed to the Income Tax Department. The inquiry will trace the origin of these funds and identify all individuals who shared in the interest earnings. A total of 14 financial transactions, involving ₹5.52 crore, have been executed, which the police said showed fraudulent intent.

Ms. Kalpana Kharat is absconding. The police submitted before the court that Mr. Kharat needs to be interrogated to assist in the search for his wife.

According to the complaint filed by Mr. Gondkar, Mr. Kharat purchased a 4.5-acre plot of land in Shirdi valued at ₹50 crore for ₹5.5 crore. The Shirdi police registered a case against five persons, including Mr. Ashok Kharat and Ms. Kalpana Kharat, under charges of fraud and violations of the Money Lending Act. The Rahata Court has rejected Ms. Kalpana Kharat’s anticipatory bail application, but she remains at large.

On Monday, Mr. Kharat was produced before the Nashik District and Sessions Court in connection with his ninth case and remanded to judicial custody. Shortly thereafter, a team led by Mr. Jadhav took him into custody and brought him to Shirdi on Monday night. His medical examination was conducted at the local Government Rural Hospital.

The investigation will also examine who provided the funds for the land purchase in Shirdi and who all were involved in the transaction. Regarding the Samata Credit Society in Rahata city, the inquiry will look into how Mr. Kharat opened 100 accounts in the names of 57 individuals, designating himself as the sole nominee for all of them. The manner of financial transactions in these accounts and the intermediaries involved will also be probed. The investigation will determine whether the President and Directors of the Samata Credit Society had any involvement in the opening of these accounts.