JAILED self-styled godman Ashok Kharat’s close associate and his wife died when their car rammed into a stationary container truck on Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district on Friday, prompting some Opposition leaders to raise suspicion over the incident. Police identified the deceased as Jitendra Shelke (55) and his wife Anuradha (50). Their 14-year-old son sustained serious injuries in the accident, an official informed. Shelke was a close associate of Nashik-based godman Kharat, who has been arrested on rape and fraud charges, among others. Shelke was Kharat’s business partner and also vice-president of Shivanika Trust set up by the ‘godman’, according to the official.

 

The accident took place at around 12 pm near Dhotre village under Kopargaon police station limits in Ahilyanagar district, 250 kilometres from Mumbai, in western Maharashtra district, he said. Shelke, who was driving the car, his wife and son were coming to Thane from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar via the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway. As the car reached Dhotre, he lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a container truck parked on the roadside, the official said. “All three suffered grievous injuries in the crash and were rushed to a local hospital, where Shelke and his wife were declared dead on arrival. A case of accidental death was registered at Kopargaon police station,” he informed. With the help of Regional Transport Office authorities and automobile experts, a crash analysis will be carried out to determine the cause of the fatal accident, said Ahilyanagar Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge.