Delhi Police Arrest Godman Chaitanyananda's Aide For Threatening Sexual Harassment Victim's Family

A local court has placed the self-styled godman under police custody for five days following Sunday's proceedings.

New Delhi:

Delhi Police have arrested Hari Singh Kopkoti, a 38-year-old close associate of self-styled godman Chaitanyananda Saraswati, for allegedly making threatening calls to the father of a sexual harassment victim involved in the ongoing case.

Police investigators revealed that Kopkoti, a resident from Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district, was apprehended after authorities traced a threatening call made to the complainant's father on September 14. During the call, he allegedly warned the family against continuing their legal pursuit.

During interrogation, Kopkoti reportedly confessed to knowing Chaitanyananda for approximately one year and admitted that the godman had directly instructed him to intimidate the victim's family. Police have seized his mobile phone as evidence. While released on bond following questioning, he remains under active investigation.

As the investigation progresses, police escorted the primary accused, 62-year-old Chaitanyananda Saraswati, to the Sri Sharada Institute of Indian Management (SRISIIM) in Delhi on Monday to reconstruct the sequence of events. Chaitanyananda, who formerly served as the institute's chairman, was arrested Sunday at an Agra hotel after evading authorities for several weeks.

An officer involved in the investigation stated that Chaitanyananda was shown his office and questioned regarding CCTV camera placements throughout the campus, including student accommodations. Investigators discovered cameras positioned outside hostel bathrooms, with live feeds accessible from one of the mobile devices recovered from the accused.

The court has granted police five days of custody to continue their investigation into the self-styled godman.