Social Media Influencer Santosh Pandit Detained by Pune Police

Social media influencer Santosh Pandit was detained early Wednesday morning

PUNE: Social media influencer and YouTuber Santosh Pandit was arrested by Pune Police in the early hours of Thursday in connection with a case alleging that he circulated defamatory, objectionable and abusive content targeting Maharashtra cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil and a woman corporator. Pandit was taken into custody from his residence around 1am, police said.

A video purportedly showing Pune City Police taking the influencer into custody during the early hours was also posted on his social media account. The action followed a complaint filed against Pandit over a video allegedly containing abusive and derogatory remarks against Patil. The complaint was lodged by Pune corporator Sunil Pande, described as a close associate of the minister.

The video, uploaded last Thursday and widely viewed on an online video-sharing platform, was reportedly shot near SNDT College on Karve Road. While the video allegedly did not explicitly mention Patil by name, it featured his photograph, police had earlier said. According to the FIR, Pandit allegedly used objectionable and obscene language while questioning the minister over development works and civic issues affecting residents of Pune's Kothrud area. The complainant alleged that the content was created with the intention of tarnishing the minister's image.

Police said the accused was booked under Sections 75(1)(iv), 75(3), 356(2) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. Pandit had earlier been served a notice asking him to cooperate with the investigation, police said. The investigation is being conducted by Police Inspector Anil Shivaji Mane, and further investigation is underway.