Swami Chaitanyananda Arrested in Agra, Sent to Five Days of Police Custody

 

Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, a former director of the Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research in Vasant Kunj, has been taken into custody by Delhi Police on charges of sexual harassment, cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. The 62-year-old, accused of molesting 17 female students, was traced to a hotel in Agra and arrested early Sunday morning around 3:30 a.m.

 

Presented before a Delhi court, Chaitanyananda was remanded to five days of police custody for interrogation. He had been absconding for several days, frequently moving between Vrindavan, Mathura, and Agra to avoid detection, police said. During this period, he allegedly stayed in budget hotels and used taxis to shift locations to evade arrest.

 

The prosecution told the court that testimonies from multiple victims supported the allegations of sexual misconduct and demands for sexual favours. Investigators argued that custodial questioning was necessary to recover further evidence.

 

Counsel for the accused opposed the plea for police remand, claiming that statements from all 16–20 complainants had already been recorded. “I am not allowed to wear my robes. You only want custody to harass me. If there is any threat to the women, that can be addressed through judicial custody,” the defence argued.

 

Police reported recovering one iPad and three mobile phones from Chaitanyananda at the time of arrest. One of the devices allegedly contained access to CCTV feeds from the campus and hostel, which he used to monitor student movements.