The main accused who made the “fake” videos showing attacks on migrant laborers in Tamil Nadu has been arrested by Bihar Police.
Reportedly, a Bihar police spokesperson said that the other accused, Manish Kashyap and Youraj Singh, are allegedly absconding, and the state police are conducting raids on their alleged hideouts. One of the accused, Jamui district resident Aman Kumar, has already been arrested by the police.
According to the police, Manish Kashyap tweeted a video created by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar on March 8. He uploaded the video on the BNR News Honey YouTube channel.
Two persons were seen tied together in the video. During the investigation, it appeared that the video was made by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar. He was apprehended in Gopalganj and brought to the EOU police station in Patna. The spokesperson said that the accused ultimately confessed to the crime.
“The fake video was created on March 6 in a leased residence in Patna’s Bengali colony, which is within the jurisdiction of Jakkanpur police station, with the assistance of the main accused Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, a native of the Gopalganj district. He admitted to the crime. Recording a video in Patna was done with the intention of misleading the Bihar and Tamil Nadu police. We double-checked with Rakesh Ranjan Kumar’s landlord, and he also confirmed that the video was shot at his house,” the Bihar police spokesperson said.
According to the Bihar Police, Manish Kashyap is a “habitual offender”. Seven criminal cases are pending against him. He also participated in an assault on a police unit. He was convicted of attacking some Kashmiri shopkeepers in Patna’s Lhasa market after the Pulwama episode.
Accused Youraj Singh was also involved in uploading the fake video. In the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, an FIR has been filed against him. He is on the run after being involved in a case of firing in Bhojpur district’s Narayanpur village three months ago. The Bihar Police is conducting searches to arrest him.
An FIR has been registered against Rakesh Ranjan, Manish Kashyap, Youraj Singh, and Aman Kumar in Economic Offence Unit (EOU) police station in Patna.
The EOU unit will be requesting the court to issue an arrest warrant against the absconding accused persons Manish Kashyap and Youraj Singh.
On Friday, ADG (HQ) Jitendra Gangwar informed that the Bihar Police found 30 videos posted on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp in connection with the Tamil Nadu incident and filed two FIRs in the matter. The police also uncovered 42 more social media accounts that had preservation orders issued to them, in addition to 26 suspicious social media profiles. A 10-member EOU team was formed to investigate the matter.
