According to a police statement, Manish Kashyap, a YouTuber, surrendered himself to the Bihar Police in the West Champaran district on Saturday for sharing fabricated videos of "attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu."
The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of the Bihar Police has registered three cases against Kashyap and others for spreading false videos of migrants being killed and beaten up in Tamil Nadu on social media. Additionally, the EOU has frozen four of Kashyap's bank accounts.
The EOU statement confirmed that Kashyap, who was wanted by the Bihar Police and Tamil Nadu Police in connection with the fake news matter regarding laborers in the southern state, surrendered to the police on Saturday due to the fear of being arrested and having his possessions seized.
The EOU had formed six teams, comprising of Patna and Champaran Police, to carry out continuous raids at Kashyap's various hideouts since Friday. According to the EOU statement, Kashyap ultimately surrendered to the police on Saturday at the Jagdishpur police station in Bettiah, fearing the consequences of being arrested and facing legal action.
In relation to the case, the EOU had registered its first FIR on March 6 and charged four individuals, including Kashyap. Aman Kumar was also arrested by the EOU during its investigation into the initial FIR. The four individuals named in the FIR were Aman Kumar, Rakesh Tiwary, Yuvraj Singh Rajput, and Manish Kashyap.
After the FIR was filed, Kashyap went into hiding and was believed to be moving around in Delhi and Noida. During this time, he even gave interviews to several media outlets and had challenged Bihar deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.
Meanwhile, the Bihar Police followed the legal process and obtained a warrant for the attachment of Kashyap's property, and the Bettiah police began the process of property attachment by removing doors, windows, rooftops, walls, and other valuables in the last two days.
Under pressure due to these actions, Kashyap surrendered himself to the police station. Currently, the Bihar Police have arrested three individuals, Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, Manish Kashyap, and Aman Kumar, while the fourth individual, Youraj Singh, is still at large.
J S Gangwar, Additional Director General of Bihar Police (Headquarters), informed reporters last week that the EOU's investigation had revealed the circulation of 30 false videos of migrant workers being attacked and killed in Tamil Nadu on social media. This misinformation caused panic among the laborers, prompting them to leave the southern state.
The Tamil Nadu Police has opened 13 cases to investigate the issue. Additionally, the Bihar government had dispatched a four-member team of senior officials to Tamil Nadu to coordinate with the officers handling the case in the southern state.