YouTuber held on extortion charge

The Panjagutta police arrested a YouTuber on Friday for allegedly attempting to extort money from a real estate firm.

The accused, Munige Mahender, 40, associated with YouTube channel, SKS FLY TV, along with four others identified as Venkatesh, Kiran, Mahender and Maajid, allegedly demanded ₹40 lakh from SSL Infra to remove defamatory videos about the company’s Peacock Avenue venture located at Thummalapally village in Vikarabad district.

According to the complaint filed by Sivapuram Surendra Kumar, chairman of SSL Infra, the group threatened to continue posting damaging content on various digital platforms if the amount was not paid. Police said Mahender was detained at 12.15 p.m. on Friday and that he admitted taking part in the conspiracy during questioning.

Police seized a phone, along with digital evidence – including – WhatsApp chats and voice recordings. The remaining accused, who run different YouTube and online news platforms, are absconding and efforts to locate them are continuing. Further investigation is under way.