Ashok Jadeja
Encyclopedia
Ashok Jadeja popularly known as Ashok Maadi and Mataji Ashok, is a self-proclaimed 'Godman
', who has been accused of swindling money from thousands of people from across India
by claiming to have the divine blessings of a goddess
of a local caste
in Ahmedabad
.
and tell people that if they kept their money with him, the goddess would make them wealthy. His initial targets were women known to be followers of the goddess Vahanwati Sikotar Mataji. Claiming divine powers, he would invite them to participate in religious rituals and then lure them into contributing whatever they could. In order to gain his target's confidence, Jadeja would initially pay back three times the amount given to him. Reports initially suggested he accumulated more than twenty crore
in three states with the help of approximately thirty-five accomplices. This amount changed to thousands of crores which was given to accomplices and used to purchase gold and real estate investments in Gujarat and neighboring areas.
village in the Patan
district of North Gujarat for their alleged involvement with his scheme.
On June 10, 2009, a local court in Gujarat granted the criminal investigation department permission to conduct a narco test on Jadeja. Police officials from neighboring Rajasthan
, Maharashtra
and other parts of the country came to Gujarat to interrogate him and his associates. On July 24, 2009, Jadeja admitted that he had no godly or mystical powers. In addition, he also revealed that some policemen and bootleggers
had also benefitted from his "money-multiplying scheme". He stated that he personally earned Rs 20 crore and that many others had made more than him. Restoration of the funds to the victims is unlikely.
Godman (Hindu ascetic)
A godman is a colloquial name for a particular type of charismatic guru who has a high-profile presence, is capable of attracting attention and support from Indian society, and makes claims of spiritual attainments...
', who has been accused of swindling money from thousands of people from across India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
by claiming to have the divine blessings of a goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
of a local caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
.
Method
Jadeja would sit outside the Shikoter Mataji temple in AhmedabadAhmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
and tell people that if they kept their money with him, the goddess would make them wealthy. His initial targets were women known to be followers of the goddess Vahanwati Sikotar Mataji. Claiming divine powers, he would invite them to participate in religious rituals and then lure them into contributing whatever they could. In order to gain his target's confidence, Jadeja would initially pay back three times the amount given to him. Reports initially suggested he accumulated more than twenty crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
in three states with the help of approximately thirty-five accomplices. This amount changed to thousands of crores which was given to accomplices and used to purchase gold and real estate investments in Gujarat and neighboring areas.
Arrest and aftermath
He was arrested on May 31, 2009 with his wife Neeta and Rs.1.98 crore. On June 3, 2009, ten relatives were apprehended by police from the KunwaraKunwara
Kunwara is an Indian Hindi film directed by David Dhawan, released on 14 July 2000. The film stars Govinda, Urmila Matondkar, Nagma, Om Puri and Johnny Lever in lead roles. The film is a remake of Bavagaru Bagunnara?-Plot:...
village in the Patan
Patan, Gujarat
Patan was a capital of Gujarat in medieval times. It is the administrative seat of Patan District in the Indian state of Gujarat and administered by municipality. The city contains many Hindu and Jain temples as well as few mosques, dargahs and rojas...
district of North Gujarat for their alleged involvement with his scheme.
On June 10, 2009, a local court in Gujarat granted the criminal investigation department permission to conduct a narco test on Jadeja. Police officials from neighboring Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and other parts of the country came to Gujarat to interrogate him and his associates. On July 24, 2009, Jadeja admitted that he had no godly or mystical powers. In addition, he also revealed that some policemen and bootleggers
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
had also benefitted from his "money-multiplying scheme". He stated that he personally earned Rs 20 crore and that many others had made more than him. Restoration of the funds to the victims is unlikely.