New Delhi/Agra: Delhi Police have arrested self-styled godman Baba Chaitanyanand in Agra on charges including sexual assault, cheating and criminal breach of trust. He was detained from Room 101 of a local hotel late at night, where he had allegedly checked in under the alias “Swami Parth Sarathi.” CCTV footage purportedly shows him arriving around 4:02 pm on September 27 and being picked up by police around 3:30 am. He is slated to be produced before Patiala House Court, Delhi, where investigators are expected to seek custodial remand.
According to police sources, Chaitanyanand was wanted in a case linked to a Delhi ashram and an educational institute in Vasant Kunj. Multiple complaints accuse him of molestation and sexual exploitation, including allegations by 17 students, some from the EWS category, who say they were lured with scholarship promises and then harassed and threatened.
Financial probes tied to the case allege that the accused operated a parallel, fictitious trust, siphoning roughly ₹20 crore over several years and withdrawing about ₹60 lakh in cash since July 2025. Police say three FIRs were registered on September 19 for cheating and related offences. Investigators have sealed 18 bank accounts and frozen 28 fixed deposits, totalling about ₹8 crore, as they examine suspected attempts to grab institutional land.
Chaitanyanand, who had been evading arrest after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected, was traced to Agra following technical surveillance. Hotel staff told reporters he registered under an alias and ordered dinner from outside before the late-night raid. Delhi Police will now question him to identify alleged accomplices and verify links to influential figures. Further searches and production of survivor statements are expected as part of the ongoing probe.
