 "Students further claimed that the ashram wardens introduced them to Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, while certain women faculty members and administrative staff pressured them to give in to his demands. Image courtesy: News18")
On Sunday, police arrested Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati , a self-styled godman accused of molesting at least 17 female students at a private institute in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj. The Delhi baba was taken into custody from Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
Chaitanyananda Saraswati, also known as Swami Parthasarathy, had allegedly sent obscene messages to young women. He has been on the run for nearly two months, CNN-News18 reported. The arrest came just days after a Delhi court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
The Delhi baba is facing charges of sexual abuse and financial misappropriation. According to CNN-News18, police accused Chaitanyananda Saraswati of withdrawing around Rs 60 lakh after fleeing. He is also accused of misappropriating more than Rs 30 crore.
It is pertinent to note that Chaitanyananda was the director of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in southwest Delhi. Authorities noted that he allegedly misused his position to sexually harass women.
According to CNN-News18, the Baba used to target women from economically weaker backgrounds in an attempt to force them into sexual relations. The arrest took place at 3:30 am at a hotel in Agra.
Soon after the allegations started to surface, Sri Sringeri Math administration relieved Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati as director, and the police issued a Look-Out Notice to prevent him from fleeing the country.