Cyberabad Police have issued a lookout notice against YouTuber Harsha Sai, who is allegedly involved in sexual assault on a Mumbai-based actress.
A case was registered against him last month at Narsingi Police Station on a complaint filed by the victim, who also alleged that he tried to blackmail her by taking her nude pictures and videos.
Intensifying the probe into the case, the police have issued a lookout notice against the accused.
On September 24, Narsingi Police had booked Harsha Sai for allegedly raping and blackmailing the actress with nude pictures and videos for money.
The 25-year-old actress had appeared in a reality show on television and played a female lead along with Harsha Sai in a movie released a year ago.
According to police, Harsha Sai and the actress first met at a party and got acquainted. They later fell in love and Sai promised to marry her. Under this pretext, he allegedly raped her.
The accused also allegedly clicked her nude pictures and started blackmailing her.
Harsha Sai had shot into the limelight after videos of his philanthropic acts went viral on social media platforms. His followers call him ‘Mr Beast of India’.
Even as the police were investigating the rape case, another woman filed a complaint with the Cyberabad cybercrime police against Harsha Sai accusing him of orchestrating online trolling against her.
The victim told police that the YouTuber Sai is responsible for the harassment she has been enduring online, causing her significant distress. She has urged authorities to take action against those behind the trolling, providing screenshots as evidence to support her claims.
This is the latest in a series of cases of sexual assault or harassment of women in the entertainment industry.
Last week, Jagtial Police registered a case of sexual assault against folk singer Mallik Teja.
The victim, also a singer, alleged that the accused repeatedly raped her. She complained that the singer blackmailed and harassed her.
Mallik Teja, who also writes the song, is popular on social media. He is also an employee of Telangana Samskruthika Sarathi (TSS), a government body under the Department of Culture.
The two cases came close on the heels of celebrity choreographer Jani Master’s arrest on charges of rape.
Jani Master’s female assistant has accused him of repeatedly raping her. He was arrested by Cyberabad Police in Goa on September 19. The next day he was brought to Hyderabad and produced in a court, which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.
According to police, the victim alleged that Jani Master sexually assaulted her in 2020 during a work trip to Mumbai and continued sexual harassment and threatened not to disclose to anyone.
The Raidurgam Police of Cyberabad on September 15 booked a zero First Information Report (FIR). Subsequently, the case was re-registered at Narsingi Police Station.