V Harish death: Who was the influencer of 'Finance With Harish'? Before Death Video and Cyberbullying Claims

27-year-old financial influencer V Harish died by suicide at a villa near Muttukad on Monday evening. In a police complaint, his father alleged cyberbullying by another YouTuber, Jason Samuel. However, Samuel denied the allegations in a post on X.

Here’s what we know about V Harish, his SEBI credentials controversy and ‘cyber bullying’ allegations:

Who was V Harish?

V Harish was a YouTuber and financial influencer. By sharing finance and investment content on social media, he has built an audience of over a million in five years. His YouTube channel ‘Finance with Harish’ and social media accounts had millions of followers.

Why did V Harish die by suicide?

V Harish, a well-known face among Tamil content creators, was found dead weeks after his Instagram page and YouTube channel were blocked over allegations that he offered financial advice without the required SEBI registration.

Harish lived in Muttukadu, on the outskirts of Chennai. Reports say he was staying in a rented villa.

His five-year-old channel was reportedly massively reported and blocked in September. He subsequently started a new channel, which according to police sources was also reported and blocked, New India Press reported.

‘cyberbullying’; Harish’s video message

Harish’s family alleged that another influencer subjected him to constant online harassment.

According to the Indian Express, Harish’s father J Vinayagam claimed in a police complaint that the allegations were part of a campaign of cyberbullying, defamatory posts and threats that caused his son serious psychological distress.

The complaint named YouTuber Jason Samuel, who posted videos and posts on October 18, allegedly accusing Harish of misleading the public. Samuel is also the CEO of venture studio Zemuria Inc.

Harish also blamed Samuel for his decision in a video he allegedly made before his death, according to his father’s complaint.

In a video recorded on October 18, Samuel accused Harish of deceiving people by offering financial advisory services without being registered with SEBI as a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA).

Harish claimed that Samuel threatened to have all his social media accounts blocked and prevent him from opening new ones. Mint could not verify the authenticity of the video.

“If I have committed any wrongdoing, you can question it. And I will answer it, but my five years of hard work is stolen,” Harish said in the video, according to The News Minute.

Harish allegedly alleged that Jason tried to extort money from him by claiming to have connections with several politicians in Puducherry and threatened to release a series of videos against him if he did not pay.

Harish also accused Jason of defaming him and subjecting him to mental harassment.

Vinayagam asked investigators to examine his son’s video, preserve relevant digital evidence and investigate the circumstances under which the accounts were blocked.

No suicide note found. Harish’s body was taken to Chengalpattu Government Hospital for post-mortem.

Police are investigating whether online harassment may have contributed to his death following recent allegations that he offered financial advice and investment-related services without SEBI registration.

Meanwhile, the Kanathur police have registered a case of unnatural death and are probing the allegations leveled by both the parties.

Samuel denies the accusation: “I pointed out his lack of license and authority”

In a social media post, Samuel denied all the allegations. He said he questioned Harish’s credentials and his authority to provide financial advice.

“I am deeply saddened, deeply grieving, shocked and frozen by what happened and mourning the loss of life,” he wrote on X.

He added, “I did not cyber harass him. I pointed out his lack of license and authority, misrepresentation of license and frauds on SEBI and AMFI where he did not get SEBI RIA for his work and falsely stated that he had AMFI license when he got ARN only recently. ie his illegal activities.”