In the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, media reporting went a little berserk and fake news, conspiracy theories about the case were also rampant.
Some Youtubers also spread misinformation and defamatory content. One Bihar Youtuber has now been booked by Mumbai Police for spreading fake stories.
As per TOI and Midday Reports, Youtuber Rashid Siddiqui, a 25-year-old civil engineer from Bihar who owns the channel ‘FF News’, has been accused of carrying fake stories on Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.
Investigations revealed that Rashid reportedly earned 15 LAKHS within 4 months only from his video content. His posts against Mumbai police, Maharashtra government, minister Aaditya Thackeray and actor Akshay Kumar reportedly got lakhs of hits on YouTube.
His subscriber base also skyrocketed from 2 lakh before Rajput’s death, to over 3.70 lakh! After Siddiqui’s initial posts on Rajput’s death went viral, he started posting more such content and earned INR 6.5 lakh in September.
Rashid Siddiqui’s Monthly YouTube Earnings
. April: $96 (Rs 7,120)
. May: $04 ( Rs 296)
. June: $515 (Rs 38,200)
. July: $3,667 (Rs 2,75,005)
. August: $7,518 (Rs 5,57,658)
. September: $8,775 (Rs 6,50,898)
. October: $3,211 (Rs 2,38,180)
. November: $484 (Rs 35,901)
Advocate Dharmendra Mishra of the Shiv Sena’s legal cell then filed a case against Rashid Siddiqui. The Police have charged him with ‘defamation, public mischief and intentional insult’. The court has granted Siddiqui anticipatory bail and asked him to cooperate in the probe.
Earlier, Delhi-based advocate Vibhor Anand had also been booked for a similar case.
“The actor’s death was used as an opportunity to earn money as people were curious about the case. Once the media started reporting different theories, YouTubers too grabbed the opportunity and started posting fake content. They maligned Mumbai police’s image and earned money during the lockdown,” a senior IPS officer said.
Akshay Kumar’s 500 Crore Lawsuit Against Rashid Siddiqui
Even though he has been granted bail, Rashid’s legal troubles are far from over. Now, Laxmii Actor Akshay Kumar has filed a defamation suit worth 500 crores against Rashid Siddiqui for falsely dragging his name in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
Siddiqui alleged in his YouTube videos that Akshay helped Rhea Chakraborty escape to Canada and also had secret talks with Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray about SSR’s death. The YouTuber also said that the actor was unhappy with Sushant bagging MS Dhoni: The Untold Story.
As for the SSR Case, the CBI has still not given its verdict in the matter, even though AIIMS report ruled out murder.