Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 17 female students, held in Agra

NEW DELHI: Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who allegedly sexually harassed 17 women students at a private institute here, was apprehended from Agra early Sunday, Delhi Police said.

A Delhi Police team traced Saraswati (62) to Agra, where he was staying at a hotel, officials said. "Multiple teams were formed to nab Saraswati. Based on inputs, we tracked him to a hotel in Agra's Taj Ganj area and caught him from there around 3.30 am on Sunday," a senior police officer said, adding that he fled Delhi on August 4 when the FIR was registered.

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Earlier, police froze Rs 8 crore, linked to Saraswati, parked in multiple bank accounts and fixed deposits. According to the FIR, Saraswati, a former chairman of the management institute in southwest Delhi, allegedly forced female students to visit his quarters 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, the officer added.

He had allegedly submitted documents with varying particulars at the time of account opening. Police also found fake visiting cards from him showing him associated with United Nations and BRICS.