By Arun Nair,Esha Mishra
Copyright timesnownews
Chaitanyananda Saraswati, the self-styled godman accused of allegedly sexually harassing 17 women students at a private institute in Delhi, was sent to five-day police custody today. The 62-year-old, who had been on the run since August, was traced to a hotel in Agra this morning. He was arrested at around 3.30 am. While being taken to the court, Chaitanyananda claimed innocence, alleging that big corporations were behind the “fake cases” filed against him. “These are all fake cases- I have enough evidence,” he told Times Now. The 62-year-old has also said that he was ready to undergo a lie detector test. While on the run, Chaitanyanand falsely projected proximity to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), news agency PTI reported, quoting investigators. His aides allegedly made calls to various people claiming he had links with the PMO, which enabled him to secure support and cooperation while evading the authorities, a senior police officer said. The accused allegedly kept changing places and hotels in Vrindavan, Mathura and Agra in Uttar Pradesh and used taxis to travel. To escape detection, he stayed in cheaper hotels, a police official said, according to PTI. He was traced to a hotel in Agra, from where he was arrested around 3:30 am. The police also recovered one iPad and three phones from his possession. One of the phones had access to the CCTV footage of the campus and the hostel through which he monitored the student’s movement. Police also found fake visiting cards from him showing him associated with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as its Permanent Ambassador and BRICS as Commission Member and Indian Special Envoy De’ Premiere’. “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. According to the hotel staff in Agra, Chaitanyanand registered at the hotel around 4 pm on September 27 under the name ‘Partha Sarathi’ and was assigned Room Number 101. He remained in the room throughout the night. 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. For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.
