Delhi: 2 staff held for aiding ‘fraud monk’ accused of molesting students

The women allegedly pressured students under “discipline” cover, destroyed evidence; Saraswati also faces cheating and forgery cases.

Three female staff members of a management institute in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj were arrested on Thursday, 2days after they were questioned along with the 62-year-old former chairman, identified as Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, who is accused of molesting over 17 female students.

Police found staff threatened girls, deleted messages, and arranged trips; Saraswati caught after two-month chase, in custody for multiple cases. (Arvind Yadav/HT)

Police identified the staff members as Shweta Sharma, a former associate dean, Bhawana Kapil, a former executive director, and Kajal Sharma, senior faculty. The three are also siblings. They are accused of aiding Saraswati and harassing college students. They were interrogated jointly with Saraswati on Tuesday.

Amit Goel, deputy commissioner of police (southwest), said, “The three women have been arrested for their role in abetment, threatening and destruction of evidence. They have admitted to the allegations... to have followed the directions of accused Saraswati. During interrogation of these three sisters, it was also established that they used to pressurise the girls students, on the pretext of discipline, punctuality.”

Saraswati, a self proclaimed monk, was arrested early on Sunday from Agra after an almost two-month chase and sent to a five-day police custody. He is accused in three cases this year, which include mass molestation case, cheating and forgery.

An FIR was lodged against him on August 5 after a group of present and former female students wrote to an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer at the Directorate of Education, Air Headquarters. Police had said that many of the students are children of army officials.

The IAF officer then approached the religious organisation which runs the college—Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamthanam Dakshinamnya Sri Sharada (also called Peetham). The Peetham, which had previously filed a criminal complaint against Saraswati on July 23 for cheating the trust of crores of rupees, approached the police and lodged an FIR for molestation and sexual harassment.

Investigators said that nearly all the complainants had named the three staff members. They allegedly threatened the students to give into his demands and would delete the lewd messages Saraswati sent to the female students from the students’ phones.

The FIR, accessed by HT, also mentions that a 21-year-old woman and other students were forced to meet Saraswati in his cabin within the college and go on trips with him.

Police also said that one team in Almora visited the alleged guest house where he had stayed with the female students.

“Some evidence has also been found in the phone, where the accused is seen making inappropriate comments on the yoga pictures of the students. These photos were taken mostly secretly and put on a WhatsApp group,” said another officer.