On Tuesday (19th December), the Pimpri-Chinchwad City Police arrested the man who was caught on camera harassing a South Korean vlogger in Maharashtra’s Pune. The accused identified as Bharat Unchale, originally from Bidar in Karnataka, was seen inappropriately hugging South Korean vlogger Kelly in a market on the outskirts of Pune in the video shared by the Youtuber. The video went viral on social media sparking public outrage with netizens demanding strict legal actions against the accused.
Confirming the arrest, ACP Satish Mane said that the arrest was made after the video was widely shared on online platforms. The accused was arrested on Tuesday after the Pimpri Chinchwad police’s crime branch tracked him down in the Ravet area.
Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey confirmed that the incident occurred in Ravet, on the city’s outskirts.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone 2), Kakasaheb Dole, stated, “An offence is being registered against this person based on a suo motu complaint. Once the FIR is registered, we can share more details.”
Notably, in the video that soon went viral, Kelly could be seen interacting with locals and greeting them with ‘Namaste’. In the video, an unidentified intruder can be seen forcefully grabbing and wrapping his arm around her neck.
Subsequently, he is joined by another man, as caught in the video. Interacting with each other, one man is seen instructing the other to stay closer. The alleged harasser could be heard saying, “Don’t stand so far. Hold her like this.”
Even as Kelly tries to keep her distance, the man persists, visibly making her uncomfortable. The vlogger notes, “I have to run from here… They really like to hug.”
However following her ordeal, Kelly urged his viewers not to judge Indians based on the acts of a few bad individuals. She stressed, “Wherever you travel, you can meet bad people. This is everywhere. So, I wanna say, please don’t judge every Indian. In my experience, India is such a good place to trip.”
Extending their support to the South Korean vlogger, several social media users expressed regret and apologised in the comment sections on YouTube. One user wrote, “As an Indian citizen I apologise to you Kelly for that rascal, who behaved with you in that way.” The second, expressing concern for her safety, advised, “Kelly, ensure strangers do not touch or hug you. Stay healthy and safe.”
With a subscriber base of around 1.69 lahks, Kelly has gained popularity as a solo female traveller, documenting and sharing her experiences on the video-sharing platform.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a Russian tourist was recently harassed by a petrol pump employee in Jaipur, as reported by NDTV on 19th December. As per reports, the Russian tourist was travelling with her Indian friend who is a Delhi-based travel vlogger known as ‘On Road Indian’ on YouTube.
The entire incident caught on camera by the YouTuber reportedly took place when the worker was filling petrol in their two-wheeler. The Indian vlogger began filming as soon as he realised there was misbehaviour towards his Russian friend who was sitting behind him.
The report further added that the Russian tourist named Viktoriia then proposed filing a police complaint. After a while, the police arrived, and the Indian vlogger narrated the entire situation. The police officer instructed the man to apologise, after which the petrol pump employee complied. Additionally, she asked the officer to note down the man’s name for future reference in case of any similar incidents.
Meanwhile, several similar incidents have been reported in the past in which several accused have been arrested for harassing foreign vloggers.
In October 2023, A Russian YouTuber was harassed while filming in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar. After the Russian girl talked to the youth while shopping for sarees, he continued to follow her and then asked for her friendship, saying he was ‘bored’ with Indian friends and he found her ‘sexy’.
Delhi Police caught three people, including a juvenile, concerning the molestation and abuse of a 22-year-old Japanese girl on the day of Holi in March this year. The unfortunate instance took place in the National Capital’s Paharganj region. The accused also belonged to the same area. They were captured touching her and smearing colour on her face as one of them cracked an egg on her head and shouted “Holi Hai, Holi Hai.”
In April 2023, the Rajasthan Police arrested a mentally ill person Deepak Jalani for harassing a Korea-based blogger in the city of Jodhpur. The accused allegedly flashed genitals at her on camera when she was shooting a blog of herself and capturing the beauty of the city.
Last year in December, Mumbai Police arrested Mobeen Chand Mohammad Shaikh and Mohammad Naqeeb Sadrealam Ansari for harassing a Korean woman vlogger in Khar. During the vlogger’s live stream from the roads in Khar, she was repeatedly groped and molested by the two accused.