Self-styled godman taken to Delhi institute to recreate crime scene in sexual harassment case

Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 17 women students at a private management institute here, was taken to its campus on Monday to recreate the sequence of events, police said.

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.

"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," the officer said.

Saraswati was remanded to five-day police custody on Sunday.

During questioning, he will likely be confronted with his three female aides, working in different positions at the AICTE-approved Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management.

The aides are accused of threatening students and forcing them to delete lewd messages sent by him.

Investigators said 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 shuttled between Vrindavan, Mathura, and Agra, using taxis and staying in budget hotels to avoid arrest.

The accused and his aides also allegedly falsely claimed to have links to the Prime Minister's Office to secure cooperation while evading authorities, the police said.

Three mobile phones and an iPad were recovered from him. One of the phones gave him access to the institute's CCTV footage, they said.

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.

In the wake of the allegations, the Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka's Sringeri, with which Saraswati was associated, issued a public statement distancing itself from him.