The Tamil YouTuber and political commentator ‘Savukku’ Shankar was arrested from his residence in Chennai on a Saturday. Five others from his team were also arrested. The arrest is reportedly in connection with a complaint filed by a film producer. The police claim that the producer accused Shankar and his team of assaulting him, “snatching” ₹2 lakh from him, and demanding a hefty sum of ₹10 lakh to delete a video that allegedly defamed the producer. Hours before his arrest, Shankar released a video on social media, claiming the case was “false” and fabricated. He stated that the producer never visited his office and denied any extortion or assault. He suggested the police action was instigated by a senior official after he had published information about alleged corruption.
The arrest was also marked by a standoff at his residence, where Shankar reportedly refused to open the door, insisting that the police speak to his advocates first. It’s also worth noting that Shankar has a history of legal issues, including a prior arrest on ganja possession charges for which an arrest warrant had been issued for failing to appear in court and multiple cases filed against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks about police personnel, including women officers, in a YouTube interview.
The charges registered against Shankar and his team primarily relate to alleged extortion, assault, and criminal intimidation. The producer has alleged that Shankar and his team assaulted him, took ₹2 lakh from him, and demanded a total of ₹10 lakh to remove a video they claimed was defamatory to the producer. Shankar, however, has publicly denied the allegations, calling the case “false” and suggesting it was fabricated due to his reporting on a high-ranking official.
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