Chennai: Self-styled Godman and founder of a residential school on the outskirts of the city Shiva Shankar Baba was on Wednesday arrested near New Delhi on charges sexual harassment and misconduct.
A special team from CB-CID, which traced him to Delhi, was arrested at Ghaziabad in the National Capital.
He was being brought to the city for questioning after obtaining a transit remand.
After cases were registered against him following complaints of sexual harassment, Shiva Shankar Baba, founder of Sushil Hari Residential School, fled the city and got himself admitted to a hospital in Dehradun.
Upon getting information that a police team was on its way to Dehradun to arrest him, he fled the hospital and took refuge at the house of one of his women devotees, who was said to have arranged his hospitalisation.
Based on the cell phone number of the woman devotee, the CB-CID team arrested him from her residence today.
Soon after his arrest, another special team today visited the school located at ECR in Chennai and interrogated the school members.
Three cases were registered against Shiv Shankar Baba following complaints of sexual abuse and sexual harassment by the former students of the school.
The Mahabalipuram All Women Police station (AWPS) registered cases under various sections of IPC, Pocso Act and Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.
The police have also registered cases under various sections of the Pocso Act including sexual harassment and abuse among others.
The complainants, who were former students, alleged that Shiva Shankar Baba had sexually harassed them a few years ago when they were studying in the school.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the case was transferred to the Crime Branch-CID wing of the State Police following which he fled to North India and got admitted to a hospital.
Shiv Shankar Baba was the latest in the series of incidents of teachers of reputed schools involved in sexual harassment and sexual abuse of students.
Ever since the first case was reported leading to the arrest of teacher Rajagopalan of PSBB school on charges of sexually harassing girl students, complaints started pouring in against more schools, coach of a private training academy and martial arts trainer, who was accused of attempt to sexually exploit a student, while returning in a car after an event. (UNI)
