Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of molesting 17 women, arrested in Agra

Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati allegedly forced female students to visit his quarters late at night and sent them inappropriate text messages.

Self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who is accused of molesting 17 women students at a private institute, was arrested in the early hours of Sunday in Agra.  The Delhi police traced Saraswati, 62, to Agra based on a tip-off.

Chaitanyananda, also known as Swami Parthasarathy, was arrested in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, after being on the run for nearly two months. He is accused of sending inappropriate messages to young women and faces charges of sexual abuse and financial misappropriation.

Earlier this week, a Delhi court denied his request for anticipatory bail.

According to police reports, after fleeing, he withdrew approximately Rs 60 lakh and is believed to have misappropriated over Rs 30 crore.

Chaitanyananda served as the director of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management in southwest Delhi, where he allegedly exploited his position to sexually harass women, particularly targeting those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to coerce them into sexual relations.

Initial complaints about his misconduct were brought to light through two letters—one from a student and another from an Air Force officer, received by the Peetham in late July and early August, as cited in the FIR reported by news agency ANI. It is also alleged that he monitored the movements of the students using his phone.

In connection with this case, police have frozen Rs 8 crore linked to Saraswati, which was stored in various bank accounts and fixed deposits.