Good Deed Gone Wrong: Delhi Police Book YouTuber Who Sensationalised Tiny Eatery on Fraud Charges

An elderly couple that owns an eatery called "Baba ka Dhaba", has reached out to Delhi Police to register a complaint against a YouTuber whose video shot the tiny food shop to massive fame overnight.

On Saturday, the Delhi Police booked Gaurav Wasan to investigate the complaint lodged by Kanta Prasad, the 80-year-old owner of "Baba ka Dhaba", who accused the YouTuber of gobbling up a significant amount of the donation money by providing the bank details of himself and his family to people who wanted to help the elderly couple.

"After we received a complaint, a preliminary inquiry was done and an FIR was registered under section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and an investigation has been initiated", media reports quoted Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Delhi) as saying.

Prasad lodged a complaint against Wasan on 31 October, nearly a month after a video of him tearfully recalling the days of the lockdown and narrating the tale of how the pandemic has affected the couple's income, went viral on social media.

Soon after the video was posted, "Baba ka Dhaba" witnessed a heavy footfall. The elderly couple bagged customers, donations, and even free cataract operations because of Wasan's video. In fact, the couple were also extended proposals to turn their eatery into a full-fledged franchise.

Following the news about Prasad lodging a police complaint against Wasan, the YouTuber uploaded videos to his Instagram handle handing over cheques of the donation money to the eatery's owners last week. Wasan also presented his bank statements in the video to prove that the money he received in donations was handed over to Prasad.

Now that the issue has reached the authorities, an investigation has been initiated.

Meanwhile, netizens cannot stop pointing out the irony of Wasan's good deed going wrong: