Man held for allegedly making threatening call to victim's father: Delhi Police in sexual harassment case involving Chaitanyananda Saraswati

New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI): A man was apprehended from Uttarakhand in connection with a sexual harassment case, allegedly involving Chaitanyananda Saraswati, for allegedly making a threatening call to the father of a victim girl, police said.
According to the police, the apprehended accused has been identified as Hari Singh Kopkoti, a resident of Bageshwar, Uttarakhand. The accused was held after one of the victim girls reported that her father had received a threatening call on September 14.
The 38-year-old accused, an accomplice of Chaitanyananda Saraswati, was apprehended from his residence and brought to Delhi.
The police informed that Kopkoti, during interrogation, revealed his connection with the accused Chaitanyanand. The apprehended accused formally met Chaitanyanand Saraswati last year during a visit to Delhi with an acquaintance already known to the latter.
The police added that, acting on Chaitanyanand's directions, Kopkoti called the complainant's father from his personal mobile phone and asked him to withdraw the complaint.
The police have booked Kopkoti under Sections 232 and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police also confirmed that the mobile phone used to issue the threat has been seized.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Police questioned Chaitanyananda Saraswati in connection with allegations of sexual harassment of female students at Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management.
The police took him to the institute and questioned him in the room where he allegedly called students. The police also asked him about the cameras he had access to. He was later brought back to the police station, where senior officers continued to interrogate him.
Delhi's Patiala House Court has sent Chaitanyananda Saraswati to five days' police custody.
Speaking to ANI, Saraswati's lawyer, Manish Gandhi, stated that some prominent individuals are allegedly involved in a "huge conspiracy" behind him, and the issue is something else.
"A five-day remand was sought by the police. We also filed certain applications, which the judge granted. In those applications, we were granted daily visits, while the police were granted five days' custody. There's a huge conspiracy behind this. The issue is something else. Some very prominent people are involved in this, whose names we will soon disclose..." Gandhi said.
Police recovered two alleged fake visiting cards from Chaitanyananda Saraswati, one claiming he is a Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations and another describing him as a member of the BRICS Joint Commission and a Special Envoy of India. Police also recovered three phones, an iPad.
Chaitanyananda Saraswati, also known as Partha Sarathy, is accused of allegedly sexually harassing female students at Sri Sharda Institute of Indian Management. On September 23, Delhi Police had registered a case of alleged sexual harassment against the accused based on a complaint filed at Vasant Kunj North Police Station.
According to the FIR, Chaitanyananda Saraswati has been accused of allegedly committing multiple acts of sexual harassment and misconduct. The complaint states that the Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, revoked the Powers of Attorney issued to him in 2008. (ANI)