Chaitanyananda Saraswati, a self-styled godman and former chairman of a private management institute in southwest Delhi, was arrested in Agra in the early hours of Sunday for allegedly sexually harassing 17 female students.
According to Delhi Police, the 62-year-old fled the capital on August 4 after an FIR was lodged against him. Acting on intelligence, a police team tracked him to a hotel in the Taj Ganj area of Agra and arrested him around 3:30 am.
According to the hotel staff in Agra, Chaitanyanand registered at the hotel around 4 pm on September 27 under the name 'Partha Sarathi' and was assigned Room Number 101. He remained in the room throughout the night.
They also recovered one iPad and three phones from his possession. One of the phones had access to the CCTV footage of the campus and the hostel through which he monitored the student's movement.
Investigators said Chaitanyanand and his associates falsely projected proximity to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). His aides allegedly made calls to various people claiming he had links with the PMO, which enabled him to secure support and cooperation while evading the authorities, a senior police officer said.
While avoiding arrest, the accused allegedly kept changing places and hotels in Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra in Uttar Pradesh and used taxis to travel. To escape detection, he stayed in cheaper hotels, a police official said.
Saraswati was produced before a Delhi court later in the day, with police seeking a 5-day custody of the self-styled godman
The duty magistrate, Ravi, remanded the self-styled godman to five days’ police custody. During the hearing, the prosecution argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to confront him with victims’ statements, digital evidence, and allegations of threats and surveillance through CCTV cameras, including some installed in bathrooms.
The defence opposed the plea, contending that the statements of the women had already been recorded and that police had already seized his electronic devices. The complainant’s counsel, however, stressed that the investigation was still at a nascent stage, the accused was not cooperating by withholding passwords, and there was a risk of evidence being tampered with.
Earlier, police froze Rs 8 crore linked to Saraswati, which was parked in multiple bank accounts and fixed deposits.
According to the FIR, Saraswati, a former chairman of a management institute in southwest Delhi, allegedly forced female students to visit his quarter late at night, and sent them inappropriate text messages at odd hours.
He allegedly kept track of the students' movements through his phone.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused allegedly used different names and particulars to operate multiple bank accounts and withdrew over Rs 50 lakh after the FIR was registered against him.
He allegedly submitted documents with varying particulars at the time of account opening.
During the arrest, police recovered fake visiting cards falsely claiming his association with the United Nations and BRICS. Further investigations are underway.
(With PTI inputs)