Chandigarh, July 18: Haryana police have arrested a YouTuber from Gohana for allegedly circulating false and defamatory news against Deepak Kaushik, the private assistant (PA) to state cabinet minister Dr Arvind Sharma. Arun Kumar, who runs the online channel ‘K-9 Media’ on YouTube and other platforms, was taken into custody on July 16 and sent on one-day police remand by a local court.
According to police, the false news alleged that Kaushik had molested a female cleaning staff member at a government bungalow in Chandigarh. The claim surfaced after Kaushik attended an event with the minister at Indradhanush Auditorium, Sector-5, on July 5.
Kaushik, a resident of Sector-20, Panchkula, filed a formal complaint on July 10, stating that the news was completely fabricated. “I only scolded the staffer for not cleaning the premises properly. No such incident ever occurred,” he wrote in the complaint.
The woman in question later released a video categorically denying any molestation, stating that the allegations were baseless.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Vikram Nehra said that when the minister’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lavesh Sharma, contacted Arun Kumar to remove the defamatory content, Kumar allegedly demanded money. “The demand was confirmed by another witness, Anil Sharma, who corroborated Lavesh Sharma’s account,” said Nehra.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Sector-5 police station under sections 61(2), 353(2), and 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. During the investigation, police recovered ₹1 lakh from Kumar—money that, according to witness Sachin, had been given as part of the extortion attempt. Two mobile phones were also seized from him.
Police said Kumar had a prior case registered against him at Gohana police station for spreading misleading news.
“During the remand, we will be focusing on recovering the mobile phone and laptop used to upload the false video,” said a senior officer, adding that further action will be based on digital forensic analysis.
