New Delhi, 24 Sept

The self-styled godman on the run after allegedly sexually assaulting several female students of a management institute here, allegedly pressured them with threats of lower grades and lured them with promises of foreign trips, an officer said on Wednesday.

Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati alias Parthsarthy, who has been booked in five cases, including a molestation case each from 2009 and 2016, has been absconding since 4 August, when he was booked at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station.

Three women wardens, who allegedly aided him in pressuring the victims, have also been named in the FIR.

According to an officer, the investigation has so far revealed that Saraswati targeted women who got admission under the EWS quota, and sent them explicit messages on social media and SMS.

Some of these messages read: "Come to my room," "I will take you abroad on a trip, you won't have to pay anything", and "If you do not listen to me, I will make sure you fail in your exams."

Police said he would summon female students to his room late at night and threaten them with low grades when they resisted.

Till now, investigators have examined phones of more than 50 students, and many of them were found to have deleted the incriminating chats, the officer said.

The wardens named in the FIR allegedly forced these students to delete the chats and comply with the demands of Saraswati, a sanchalak (member of the management committee) at the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management — an institute approved by the All India Council for Technical Education.

"Their role is currently under investigation, and the full extent of their involvement will be determined once Saraswati is apprehended," the officer said about the three wardens.

Police have recorded the statements of 32 female PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) students enrolled under the EWS scholarship at the institute.

Of these women, 17 alleged that Saraswati used abusive language, sent explicit messages, and made unwanted physical advances.

Some CCTV footage is also suspected to have been deleted. Digital Video Recorders, Network Video Recorders, and hard disks from the institute have been sent to the Forensic Lab for examination.

Sixteen victims have so far made their deposition before a magistrate.

Police said several teams have been formed to track Saraswati, and a strict vigil has been mounted at airports to prevent him from fleeing the country.

A source claimed that his last location was found to be in Agra.

According to the police statement, Saraswati was booked under sections 75(2) (sexual harassment), 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Several houses linked with the godman have been raided.

Meanwhile, the Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, with which Saraswati was earlier associated, issued a public statement distancing itself from him.

The Peetham has also lodged complaints regarding illegal acts committed by Saraswati, it said.