India's Got Latent controversy: Maharashtra Cyber cops grill Ranveer Allahbadia for 5 hours

Maharashtra Cyber officials questioned YouTubers Ranveer Allahbadia and Ashish Chanchlani for about five hours on Monday (February 25) regarding the India's Got Latent show controversy after they appeared to record their statements, according to officials.

The duo appeared separately at the cyber headquarters in Navi Mumbai after skipping previous summons issued by the agency.

Investigation on

The Maharashtra Cyber and the Mumbai Police are investigating Allahbadia’s controversial remarks on Samay Raina's YouTube show, which sparked an obscenity case. The show, India's Got Latent, became the focus after Allahbadia made crude comments about parents and sex, leading to widespread backlash.

Also Read: Ranveer appears before Maharashtra Cyber Cell to record statement in 'vulgar' remark row

Allahbadia and Chanchlani appeared at the cyber headquarters around 11.30 am following which their statements were recorded, an official said without elaborating.

Allahbadia, who wore a black face mask to avoid media attention, was seen leaving the headquarters around 5 pm. He boarded a private cab and left, while Chanchlani departed an hour later in his car.

'Dirty mind'

More than 50 people connected to the show, including guests, judges, social media influencers, and comedians, were summoned by Maharashtra Cyber. The investigation includes allegations of obscenity against Allahbadia, who is also known as BeerBiceps.

The Supreme Court granted Allahbadia interim protection from arrest on Tuesday, calling his remarks "vulgar" and saying he he had a "dirty mind" that shamed society.

Also Read: Police summons Ranveer, Rakhi Sawant over 'India's Got Latent' row

Court order

The court directed Allahbadia to cooperate with the ongoing investigations and deposit his passport with the Thane police to prevent him from leaving the country without permission. The matter has been scheduled for a hearing on March 3.

Several FIRs were lodged against Allahbadia.

On February 17, an FIR was registered in Guwahati by a resident for the alleged promotion of obscenity in a publicly accessible online show.

In addition to Allahbadia and Raina, others named in the case include Chanchlani, comedians Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, and Rakhi Sawant, who appeared as a guest on the show.

Also Read: Tearful Samay Raina reacts to India's Got Latent row, 'time is bad for me'

Sawant was summoned to appear before Maharashtra Cyber on February 27, police had said.

Death threats

The National Commission for Women (NCW) had previously summoned Allahbadia, Raina, and others, to appear before it on February 17.

However, due to concerns over safety and other logistical issues, many failed to attend in person. Allahbadia's hearing has been rescheduled to March 6 following his request for a three-week postponement, citing death threats, officials had said.

(With agency inputs)