An Indian man has spoken out after being wrongly accused of attempting to meet a minor in a livestreamed sting by a Russian YouTuber, who has since issued a public apology acknowledging the mistake.
The creator, who goes by Vitaly on social media, acknowledged that he and his team had incorrectly identified Akash Singhania as a suspected child predator in a now-deleted video. The clip showed the group confronting Singhania in a residential neighbourhood, alleging that he had invited a 16-year-old girl on a date.
The girl, who was part of the team, claimed he had sent her messages on Snapchat. However, Singhania maintained that he was communicating with an 18-year-old. “I am not trying to fight this, I am not a violent person,” Singhania said in the clip, even as the group continued to accuse him and suggested he may have used multiple accounts.
Singhania eventually called the police, who arrived at the scene and assessed the situation. Authorities later confirmed that he had not engaged in any wrongdoing.
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Russian YouTuber apologises
Following the incident and mounting criticism on social media, Vitaly issued an apology across platforms, including Instagram and X. “My team and I mistakenly portrayed Askash Singhania as a child predator. This was a mistake that I deeply regret. He never intended to meet a minor and has been cleared of all wrongdoing,” Vitaly said in a statement.
“I apologise to Mr Singhania, his family, his friends, and anyone else affected by this mistake,” he added.
Vitaly further said that the video has been removed from all platforms and asked others to delete any saved copies. He also urged viewers to stop contacting Singhania, adding that the incident was a learning experience for his team.
“Though I never encourage anyone to attempt to contact any person in my videos, I ask that anyone who is attempting to contact Mr. Singhania cease at once,” Vitaly said. “This was a learning experience for my team and me, and we will ensure that we remain committed to the truth,” he concluded.
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Akash Singhania reacts
Singhania later shared his own account of the incident on X, saying the false accusation had upended his life.
“My world was turned upside down this weekend,” he wrote in a post on X. “I was wrongfully portrayed as someone attempting to engage in inappropriate conduct. This accusation is completely false.”
He confirmed that the YouTuber had acknowledged the mistake publicly and thanked officers from the Santa Ana Police Department for their “professionalism and for taking the time to carefully evaluate the situation and establish the truth”.
While welcoming the apology, Singhania also said the fallout had already taken a toll. “I have experienced harassment, judgment, and damage to my personal and professional relationships based on something that has now been proven false,” he wrote.
He also stressed the importance of due process, noting that while efforts to expose wrongdoing are necessary, “mistakes, when made publicly, can have serious consequences on innocent lives.”
HT.com has reached out to Akash Singhania. The article will be updated once a response is received.
