A case has been registered against a self-proclaimed ‘godman’ from Maharashtra’s Vasai for allegedly raping and blackmailing a 35-year-old woman. During the crime, the accused presented himself as an incarnation of Lord Shiva and referred to the survivor as Goddess Parvati.
The incident came to light after the woman gathered the courage to lodge a first information report (FIR) at the Manikpur Police Station after seeing the news of spiritual leader and former Navy merchant Ashok Kharat getting arrested for sexually assaulting multiple women.
As her complaint reads, the accused, Rishikesh Vaidya, connected with the woman on Facebook in 2023. In the guise of preaching spirituality, Vaidya, also the head of the Aamchi Vasai foundation, first met the survivor at a lodge in Pune in December 2023. He then drugged her and raped her.
During the crime, Vaidya also allegedly took obscene photographs of the woman without her consent. These photographs were later used as tools for blackmail, with Vaidya allegedly threatening the victim to force further encounters. In May 2025, he reportedly called her to a hotel in Vasai, where he attempted another sexual assault.
The victim has further alleged that Vaidya has used his religious persona to trap and sexually exploit multiple other women through similar deceptive tactics.
Prompted by the reported case of Kharat, the woman’s husband filed a formal complaint at the Manikpur Police Station. Authorities subsequently transferred the matter to the police station holding jurisdiction over the original scene of the crime.
As the investigation remains ongoing, authorities are looking into the full extent of the allegations and the potential existence of other victims who may have been silenced by the accused.
SECOND MAHARASHTRA ‘GODMAN’ ACCUSED OF RAPE
This has been the second case of a spiritual leader from Maharashtra being accused of raping a woman in a week.
A week ago, Ashok Kharat, also known as ‘Captain’ Kharat, was arrested on Thursday by the Nashik Crime Branch for allegedly raping a woman and exploiting others under the guise of religious practices.
Police said he manipulated a 35-year-old married woman through rituals and claims of divine powers, drugged her with intoxicants, hypnotised her, and repeatedly assaulted her between November 2022 and December 2025.
The survivor later approached the police, following which the Maharashtra government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by IPS officer Tejaswini Satpute to probe the case.
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