Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 17 women has now been taken to the Delhi institute for further investigation, Chaitanyananda was arrested in Agra. Police recovered his mobile devices with CCTV access, froze Rs 8 crore linked to him
Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati taken to crime scene by Delhi Police. Pic/PTI
Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who allegedly sexually harassed 17 women students at a private institute in Delhi, was apprehended in Agra on Sunday. Following his arrest, Chaitanyananda Saraswati was taken to his campus on Monday to recreate the sequence of events, as per the Delhi police.
As reported by news agency PTI, Saraswati, 62, who was arrested early Sunday from a hotel in Agra, was brought to the institute where he earlier served as chairman, an officer said.
The officer, while informing about the situation, said that "He was taken to his office and asked about the CCTVs installed on the campus and hostel. There were CCTVs outside the hostel bathrooms as well, whose footage was directly accessible on one of the mobile phones recovered from him," as cited by news agency PTI.
Earlier, when Chaitanyananda Saraswati was arrested by the Delhi Police, the court sent him to five-day police custody.
During questioning, Chaitanyananda will likely be confronted with his three female aides, working in different positions at the AICTE-approved Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management, reported PTI.
Along with the self-styled godman, his aides have also been accused of threatening students and forcing them to delete lewd messages sent by him.
The police officials said that the self-styled godman Saraswati had been abroad since July and returned to India on August 6.
After he was booked for sexual harassment, a Lookout Circular (LOC) was issued for him to prevent him from leaving the country.
While in hiding, he allegedly travelled between Vrindavan, Mathura, and Agra, using taxis and staying in budget hotels to avoid arrest, as per PTI.
The accused and his aides also falsely claimed to have links to the Prime Minister's Office to secure cooperation while evading authorities, the police said.
The police officials further highlighted that “Three mobile phones and an iPad were recovered from him. One of the phones gave him access to the institute's CCTV footage, as per PTI.
Earlier, police froze about Rs 8 crore deposited in several bank accounts and fixed deposits linked to him. According to the FIR, Saraswati forced women students to visit his quarters late at night, sent them inappropriate messages at odd hours, and monitored their movements through CCTV feeds.
(With inputs from PTI)
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