Delhi Police arrested self-proclaimed preacher Chaitanyananda Saraswati, accused of sexually harassing 17 women students of a private management institute in Delhi, from a hotel in Agra on Sunday.

The police said Saraswati, a former director of the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research, had been on the run for the last 50 days after the students studying in the institute under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) scholarship accused him of using abusive language, forced physical contact and sending obscene messages.

“The 62-year-old was arrested from a hotel in Agra based on a tip-off. He allegedly forced female students to visit his ashram in the capital’s posh Vasant Kunj neighbourhood late at night and sent them inappropriate text messages at odd hours. He also allegedly monitored the students’ movements through his phone,” said a police officer.

“All the 17 victims had registered complaints with the Defence Colony police station in early August, accusing him of sexually harassing postgraduate management diploma students with scholarships in the EWS category,” the officer added.

The students alleged that some wardens working at the management institute had introduced them to the “Baba” who used to call them to his room and lure them with free foreign trips. A probe has revealed that the accused had also secretly installed cameras in the women’s hostel.

Three women serving as faculty members and administrators at the institute are also under the scanner for allegedly abetting the accused by pressuring students to comply with his demands.

“Their role is also under investigation,” said the officer.

Soon after the accusation came to light last week, the police swung into action and constituted multiple teams to nab the accused.

The ashram administration removed Chaitanyananda from his post. The ashram unit that the accused headed in Delhi is a branch of a prominent ashram in south India — the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham in Karnataka’s Sringeri. The religious body called Chaitanyananda’s actions “inappropriate” and “illegal”.

“The public is hereby informed that Swami Chaitanyananda Saraswati, formerly known as Swami (Dr) Parthasarathy, has engaged in activities that are illegal, inappropriate, and detrimental to the interests of Sri Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamsthanam Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri (Peetham). As a result, the Peetham has severed all ties with him,” the religious body said in a statement.

It further said that the Peetham had lodged complaints with the relevant authorities regarding the “illegal acts” committed by Saraswati.

The statement added that the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has approved the functioning of Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management-Research in the name of the Peetham from Plot No. 7, Institutional Area, Phase II, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

“The Peetham administers the institution through a Governing Council, chaired by Dr Krishna Venkatesh, a respected educationist, along with other distinguished individuals. The Governing Council is actively taking steps to ensure the welfare of students and to prevent any disruption to the ongoing educational programmes,” it said.