Delhi godman taken to institute campus; pornographic material seized

Delhi Police on Wednesday escorted self-styled godman Chaitanyanand Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 17 students, to a private management institute in the city where the alleged crimes occurred.

This marks the second time police have taken him to the premises since his arrest earlier this week. According to senior officers involved in the investigation, a fresh search of Saraswati’s residential quarters within the campus was carried out, lasting over an hour.

During the operation, police reportedly recovered a sex toy, five CDs believed to contain pornographic content, and three doctored photographs showing the accused alongside prominent world leaders —including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former US President Barack Obama, and a British political figure. These items have been sent for forensic examination.

Police sources said these fake images may have been used by Saraswati to create an illusion of influence and gain the trust of victims and followers. Investigators also uncovered 'lewd' chats on Saraswati’s mobile phone with several unidentified women.

In one disturbing exchange, he allegedly asked a woman, “One Dubai sheikh wants a sex partner, do you have any nice friend?” The chats, filled with pet names like 'baby doll' suggest a pattern of manipulation and exploitation.

Saraswati was arrested in Agra on Sunday after evading arrest for several days. Following his capture, he was confronted with three of his female aides — sisters who allegedly threatened victims and forced them to delete incriminating messages and photos from their phones. Police believe these women played a key role in covering up the alleged misconduct.

Authorities further allege that Saraswati had secretly taken photographs of students and staff without their consent. His phone also contained images with female flight attendants and screenshots of women’s social media profile pictures, many of which were reportedly saved without permission.

The accused is said to have lured women with promises of jobs at airlines or at his institute, using these offers as a pretext to initiate personal conversations.

His office was allegedly designed to resemble a luxury hotel suite, complete with lavish décor, to impress and manipulate his targets. He also gave expensive gifts — including jewellery — and asked women to send photos and videos of themselves doing yoga.

Police said Saraswati often boasted of having high-level political connections, falsely claiming ties to the prime minister’s office and even threatening officials by invoking the name of the chief justice of India.

The investigation is ongoing, with police teams having visited Bageshwar, Almora, and other locations where the accused had stayed while on the run.