Police have apprehended Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, formerly the chairman of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management Research in Vasant Kunj. Saraswati had evaded arrest after several First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against him.
He is accused of mass molestation of female students and faces allegations of financial misconduct amounting to ₹122 crore. Saraswati had been missing since August.
The investigation into the mass molestation allegations began on August 5, following a complaint filed by P.A. Murali, the administrator of the Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, the college’s governing body. The FIR details statements from a 21-year-old student, and also references accounts from 32 other women who allegedly experienced repeated harassment from the monk, as reported to the college council.
The religious organization overseeing the college had previously released a statement indicating they had distanced themselves from Saraswati due to the molestation accusations and alleged misappropriation of trust funds.
Additionally, police discovered that Saraswati was using nine counterfeit diplomatic car number plates marked with “UN.” Authorities have frozen assets exceeding ₹8 crore, which were held across 18 bank accounts and 28 fixed deposits linked to him.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest), Amit Goel, informed HT that the complainant reported Saraswati, who headed the institute, sexually harassing female students enrolled in PGDM courses under an Economically Weaker Section (EWS) scholarship. During the inquiry, statements from 32 female students were recorded, with 17 of them alleging they received inappropriate messages on WhatsApp, faced verbal abuse, and experienced unwanted physical contact from Saraswati. The students also claimed that female faculty and administrators pressured them to comply with the accused’s demands.
Following these statements, an FIR was filed against Saraswati on charges including sexual harassment, outraging the modesty of a woman, and criminal intimidation.
Police reported that their investigation involved analyzing CCTV footage and conducting multiple raids at the incident location and the accused’s known addresses. NVRs and hard disks from the Sri SIIM institute were sent for forensic analysis, and statements from 16 victims were recorded before a magistrate at Patiala House Court.
Authorities stated that Saraswati had been altering his appearance and moving between various hideouts, with over five teams dedicated to his capture. DCP Goel confirmed that Saraswati was finally apprehended in Agra late on Saturday and is currently being brought to Delhi.
Saraswati faces a total of five cases. The first case was registered in Defence Colony in 2009. The second involved a molestation complaint filed by a student in Vasant Kunj in 2016. The three additional FIRs filed this year include charges of molestation, cheating, and forgery.
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