Mumbai: Following the arrest of Nashik-based self-styled godman Ashok Kharat on March 18 on charges of rape, sexual exploitation and extortion, a major crackdown has been launched across Maharashtra in search of similar criminals. Last month, about a dozen such cases were reported and arrests were made.
Police say, most of the accused claim to have supernatural powers and prey on emotionally vulnerable devotees by promising them miraculous cures – the victims are exploited either sexually or financially. The police action spread from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to other cities and smaller towns across the state.
State home department officials said the number of arrests underlines the alarming scale of exploitation being carried out in the name of spirituality and blind faith.
Hamid Dabholkar, a prominent member and active campaigner of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), one of the country’s leading organizations fighting superstitious practices, and which has played a key role in bringing the Prevention and Abolition of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act in the state, said that rules for effective implementation of the Act have not yet been framed.
Dabholkar, son of late rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar, said, “We have been demanding these rules for more than 12 years, but there has been no serious response. Recently, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured us; we are waiting.”
“We also want the state government to bring astrologers under the ambit of the Act, as many self-proclaimed godmen start their so-called spiritual journey as astrologers before gradually moving towards black magic and exploitative practices – Ashok Kharat is the latest example of this pattern,” he said.
1 seven gods
Who:
Rajendra Bapu Gadge, 51
claim:
Miraculous treatment
Location: Ahilyanagar
Arrested: April 18, 2026
Self-styled godman Rajendra Bapu Gadge, who runs Duttdham Sarkar Ashram in Vadgaon Paan village of Sangamner in Ahilyanagar, was arrested for allegedly cheating several people and practicing black magic following a complaint by MANS.
An investigating officer from Sangamner rural police station said Gadge gained popularity by claiming that he could cure incurable diseases like cancer and paralysis and help couples have children using “divine powers”. They allegedly collected fees from devotees from each other ₹more than 15,000 ₹50,000 to perform the rituals.
His operation was extensive. After the arrest, the police recovered more than 200 videos and about 90 types of medicines from the ashram for forensic investigation.
Police also found that Gadge and his family owned at least 13 properties in Sangamner, Rahata and Nevasa, as well as 10 bank accounts. The ashram has been sealed as the investigation continues.
They have been booked under Maharashtra Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Wicked and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Prevention and Eradication Act, BNS Section 318, Drugs and Magical Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Maharashtra Medical Practitioners Act, 1961.
Among others, his associate Madhukar Shinde has also been arrested.
2
Who:
Manohar Bhosale, 47
claim:
Incarnation of spiritual personality ‘Balumama’
Place:
Solapur
Arrested:
24 April 2026
Manohar Bhosale alias Manohar Mama, once a dry fish seller, established himself as a self-styled godman around 2015. He was recently arrested by Solapur Police on multiple charges of fraud and rape.
A native of Lasurne in Indapur taluka, Bhosale failed in his D.Ed examination after which he became a dry fish seller. He disappeared for a year in 2016 and resurfaced claiming himself to be the incarnation of a spiritual figure ‘Balumama’ and established an ashram in Undargaon, attracting many followers.
He was arrested by Solapur Rural Police following a complaint by a real estate businessman who was allegedly cheated in payments ₹Rs 2 lakh more for an ‘Aghori Puja’ ₹50,000 to a monastery after promising him success in his business through black magic over a video call.
He was arrested under Maharashtra Prevention and Abolition of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Wicked and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, BNS Section 318 for cheating and other relevant sections.
He has reportedly built a luxurious ashram spread over 27 acres in Ghoti village of Solapur where he has cultivated guava, mango and coconut. He was known to exploit his devotees by selling a guava from his ashram ₹2,000 and a box of twelve mangoes ₹3,000 as “Prasad”.
Investigating officials said cases of rape, sexual exploitation and fraud were registered against him in Solapur, Karmala, Baramati and Daund. She allegedly cheated on a man ₹Rs 2.51 lakh by promising to get his father’s cancer treated.
3
Who:
Rhythm Panchal, 37
claim:
ability to expel spirits
Place:
Mumbai
Arrested:
16 April 2026
Until four years ago, Rhythm Panchal aka Monty was a gym trainer who eventually reinvented himself as a ‘spiritual healer’, claiming magical powers and the ability to exorcize spirits. Apart from money, he also allegedly demanded alcohol, cigarettes, live chickens and goat liver from followers seeking the ‘cure’.
Operating from a vacant plot in Malad (East), he is known to hold overnight ‘darbars’ twice a week, claiming to be possessed by a goddess. Investigating officers from Dindoshi police station said he lured dozens of women, including those who sought his help to conceive, on the pretext of treatment.
His methods of performing ‘Aghori’ rituals by lighting a cigarette in the mouth and his insistence on expensive offerings aroused suspicion among the locals and devotees. Following complaints from more than 60 people, Dindoshi police arrested him under the Maharashtra Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Prevention and Abolition Act.
4
Who:
Mahesh Kakade, 31
claim:
healing powers
Place:
Nashik district
Arrested:
23 April 2026
Self-styled godman Mahesh Kakade alias Maheshgiri was arrested last month for sexually assaulting a 28-year-old woman in Nashik district.
Investigating officers of Lasalgaon police said, seeking help in resolving their marital issues, the woman’s parents brought her to Shri Datta Devasthan Math in Dharangaon (Kharak) near Lasalgaon in Nashik district. There, Maheshgiri reportedly told him that he had divine powers to heal people. Making him believe that he was under some evil influence, she made him perform the ritual.
As time passed, he started sending her obscene messages and allegedly exploited her.
According to police, he took her to a lodge, where he sexually assaulted her and clicked objectionable photographs. While the woman initially remained silent, MANS activists won her trust and helped her file a police complaint. He was arrested under the Maharashtra Prevention and Abolition of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act and BNS Act.
Police are now investigating whether Kakade has exploited other people as well.
5
Who:
Hrishikesh Vaidya, 40
claim:
an incarnation of lord shiva
Place:
Palghar
Arrested:
28 March 2026
A self-styled godman from Palghar district – Rishikesh Vaidya – was booked a few months ago for allegedly raping a 35-year-old woman who claimed to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
According to investigating officers of Pune Police, Vaidya allegedly contacted the Pune-based woman on Facebook in early 2023 and met her in December. He convinced her that he was ‘Mahadev’ and she was ‘Parvati’, and took her to a lodge in Pune’s Manjari area, where he allegedly drugged her and raped her. He also took objectionable photographs and used them to blackmail her.
He allegedly attempted to sexually assault her again in a hotel in Vasai. She finally came forward to file an FIR against Vaidya after the arrest of another self-styled godman Ashok Kharat from Nashik on March 18.
Police registered a case against Vaidya under section 64 of rape and 351 (2) of the BNS Act for criminal intimidation. They are also investigating whether the accused is guilty of similar cases.
6
Who:
Ganesh Shinde, 41
claim:
a spiritual healer
Place:
Ahilyanagar
Arrested:
27 April 2026
Ganesh Shinde, a daily wage laborer who established himself as a religious leader, was arrested in Ahilyanagar last month for alleged rape and extortion. Shinde, once a labourer, managed a large number of followers as a spiritual healer and worked from an ashram in Belapur, Ahilyanagar.
According to Shriram Police, Ahilyanagar, a 35-year-old woman from the city had approached them earlier this year for treatment of a persistent stomach ailment. She accused him of allegedly exploiting her trust.
Investigating officials said that for three years, Shinde allegedly drugged her and sexually assaulted her, while threatening to “curse” her and make her condition worse if she spoke. He also allegedly extorted ₹Rs 18-20 lakh were collected from them as “prasad” for the rituals.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS for rape and extortion and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act. Shinde is now under investigation, with the police probing whether other followers were similarly targeted.
7
Who:
21 year old Tantan Baba and 24 year old Ekalahari Baba
claim:
cure from black magic
Place:
Navi Mumbai
Arrested:
29 April 2026
Police arrested two self-styled godmen – Arjun Bharat Chavan alias Tantan Baba and Sagar Shivaji Shinde alias Ekalahari Baba from Nashik for cheating a woman. ₹1.9 lakh through claims of black magic rituals and occult practices.
According to the police, the accused targeted a 27-year-old woman from Diwale village in Navi Mumbai, and convinced her that her personal problems could be solved through special pujas and ‘Aghori’ rituals. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-II, Belapur) Amit Kale said the duo introduced themselves as physicians from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and gained the trust of the woman before allegedly extorting money. ₹1.47 lakh cash and ₹43,000 through online transfer between September and December 2025.
Following a complaint lodged by the woman on April 24, police traced the accused to Ghoti in Nashik district and arrested him. A case has been registered against the duo under the BNS Act for cheating and common intention as well as under provisions of the Maharashtra Prevention and Abolition of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act.
