The Nashik sex scandal has taken a sharp turn after the police arrested Ravindra Ganpat Erande, the man who earlier approached authorities to file a complaint against self-styled ‘godman’ Ashok Kharat.Erande had initially approached the Satpur police station earlier this week and claimed that a tablet had been stolen from his office and that he was being blackmailed, according to an NDTV report.
As per PTI report, he told police that the accused had demanded money and that he had already paid Rs 10,000 with another Rs 50,000 to be handed over later.
Based on his complaint, police registered an extortion case and laid a trap that led to the arrest of four men: Akash Pundlik Bakre, Prakash Ramdas Panpatil, Suraj Sunil Gawai and Shreepat Bhimrao Shinde. They were arrested for allegedly stealing the device and attempting to extort Rs 12 lakh by threatening to leak private photos and videos.What probe revealed against Ravindra Ganpat ErandeDuring the investigation, police seized four mobile phones, two pen drives and a memory card from the accused. Upon examining these devices, officials found 121 obscene and objectionable video clips involving women known to Erande.ALSO READ | Rains, dust storm lash Delhi-NCR; IMD forecasts thunderstorms and gusty winds over next few days
A deeper probe indicated that Erande had allegedly sexually exploited several women and recorded obscene videos of them.Erande arrestedIn a further development, one of the women seen in the videos filed a complaint against Erande, accusing him of sexually assaulting her multiple times at different hotels. As per PTI report, she alleged that he lured her with the promise of securing a government job for her son.Following the complaint, Erande was arrested on Friday on charges related to sexual exploitation by deceit, along with other relevant offences under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Atrocities Act. Police said there could be more victims and have urged women to come forward and assured that their identities would be kept confidential.ALSO READ | Noida Airport: Door-to-door drive launched to fast-track farmer compensationWhat is Ashok Kharat caseThe developments come amid the wider investigation into self-styled godman Ashok Kharat who was arrested on March 17 after a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her over a period of three years.During the investigation, police also recovered several videos which involved objectionable clips that were stored on a pen drive.Kharat is also alleged to have had links in political circles. NCP leader Rupali Chakankar stepped down as Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women and as the party’s women’s wing president after her alleged association with him came to light.
