Main accused behind 'fake' videos of attacks on Bihar migrants in Tamil Nadu arrested

Patna: Bihar Police have arrested the main accused who made 'fake' videos of attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu.

According to a Bihar police spokesperson, two accused namely Manish Kasyap and Youraj Singh are absconding and the state police are conducting raids on their possible hideouts. The police have already arrested one of the accused Aman Kumar, a native of Jamui district.

"The main accused Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, a native of Gopalganj district had made the fake video in a rented accommodation in Patna's Bangali colony under Jakkanpur police station, with the help of 2 persons on March 6. He has confessed the crime. The whole idea behind making a video in Patna was to mislead the police of Bihar and Tamil Nadu. We have cross checked with the landlord of Rakesh Ranjan Kumar and he has also confirmed that the video was made at his house," the spokesperson said.

"Accodingly, the investigating team has registered an FIR against Rakesh Ranjan, Manish Kashyap, Youraj Singh and Aman Kumar in Economic Offence Unit (EOU) police station in Patna," he added.

The police said that a video made by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar was tweeted on March 8 by a person named Manish Kashyap. He had uploaded the video on a YouTube channel named BNR News Honey.

In the video, two people were seen tied with something. The video looked suspicious. During the investigation, it appeared that the video was made by Rakesh Ranjan Kumar. He was taken into custody from Gopalganj and brought to Patna in EOU police station. He eventually confessed the crime, the spokesperson elaborated.

According to the police, Manish Kashyap is a "habitual offender". He is having seven criminal cases against his name. He was involved in attacking a police team as well. After the Pulwama incident, he was involved in beating some Kashmiri traders in Patna's Lhasa market and served a jail term. He was also involved in uploading several objectionable communal posts in the past.

Accused Youraj Singh was also involved in uploading the fake video. An FIR has been registered against him in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district. He was involved in firing in Narayanpur village in Bhojpur district three months ago, and is on the run. The Bihar Police is making efforts to arrest him.

The spokesperson said that a story with headline "Madhubani Ke Ek Youwak Ki Tamil Nadu Me Hatya" (Madhubani youth murdered in Tamil Nadu) was published in a Hindi daily. However, the SP of Tirupur district (Tamil Nadu) refuted the news.

The youth named Shambhu Mukhiya had committed suicide after the marriage of her sister was postponed. Her wife had given an application in Mangalam police station in Tirupur district on March 5, and she claimed that her husband had slit his wrist.

The Bihar Police registered two FIRs in connection with the Tamil Nadu incident and identified 30 videos uploaded on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp. The police also identified 26 suspicious social media accounts and preservation notices given to 42 other social media accounts.

In the case, four persons were booked so far including Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, Manish Kashyap, Youraj Singh and Aman Kumar.