After being on the run for almost 10 days, the chancellor and director of a private educational institute in South Delhi, Chaitanyanand Saraswati, was finally arrested from a hotel in Agra by Delhi Police in the early hours of Sunday. The spiritual leader has been accused of sexually harassing at least 17 women students, mostly belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). According to the complaint, Chaitanyanand made unwanted physical contact with the students. Some survivors also mentioned in their complaints that the accused was brought to Delhi and produced in a local court, which remanded him in police custody for five days.
The police had earlier recovered fake visiting cards from the accused, identified as Chaitanya Anand alias Partha Saathi. One of the cards claimed he was a permanent ambassador at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), while another stated he was a commission member and special envoy at BRICS. Apart from this, the police also recovered three mobile phones and an iPad.
The police reportedly told national media that Chaitanyanand had changed locations over the past two months, moving through Mathura, Agra, and Vrindavan while staying at 13 different hotels. He would often call his staffers to demand favours, such as pilot and escort cars and accommodation, by falsely claiming that he was part of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), said a concerned police official to the national media.
“He had given them threats. CCTV cameras were installed to monitor their movement. Cameras were even installed in bathrooms. Around 16 girls have complained, along with several other allegations that need to be verified,” stated the prosecution before Duty Magistrate Ravi at Patiala House Court in Delhi.
All the 18 bank accounts and 28 fixed deposits in the name of a trust set up by Chaitanyanand, holding around ₹8 crore, were frozen by the police. The religious body Chaitanya Anand was previously associated with has severed all ties with him, according to a statement by the organisation.
According to the police, the case of alleged harassment came to light in August after one of the administrators at the institute approached the authorities.
“On August 4, a complaint was received against Swami Chaitanya Anand Saraswati alias Partha Sarathy regarding sexual harassment of women students pursuing education under the EWS scholarship,” stated DCP of South Delhi Amit Goyal.
The statements of the victims have been recorded before the Patiala House Court, and Chaitanya Anand was denied bail in the case of fraud and misappropriation of funds on Friday.