A Russian YouTuber is receiving massive flak on social media after falsely accusing an Indian man of being a child predator. The incident, captured on video and shared online, sparked outrage over the false allegations.
In the viral clips, Vitaly and his team are seen surrounding a man in a residential area and accusing him of asking a 16-year-old girl out on a date. A girl who was with the group claimed the man had been messaging her on Snapchat.
However, the man, later identified as Akash Singhania, said the person he planned to meet was 18 years old. He immediately called the police and repeatedly asked the group to check his messages.
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Despite this, the group continued to blame him. “You’re one of those tech Indians, smart huh,” Vitaly said, claiming Singhania had several Snapchat accounts. Another member claimed, “He either deleted the pictures or he has a burner that he uses,” suggesting he may have had a second phone.
“I’m not trying to fight it, I’m not a violent person,” Singhania said as he tried to explain his side.
Backlash on social media
The incident sparked strong reactions online, with many criticizing the YouTuber for making false claims and unfairly targeting the man.
“Predator hunting is low level content. If you get it wrong you will completely ruin someone’s life,” wrote one user on X. Another added: “Not only did he falsely accuse an innocent person, but he was also racist in the process.” A third comment read: “You are a criminal and the way your team threatened this guy and the way you used racial slurs and made fun of his accent… I hope he sues.”
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Apology after police intervention
The police later arrived at the scene and helped clarify the situation. Vitaly subsequently issued a public apology on social media platforms, including Instagram and X.
“We wrongly identified and accused Akash Singhania. We were completely wrong and made a terrible mistake,” he said. “My team and I screwed up and we deeply apologize to Akash. Whoever has those videos, please delete them. Snapchat messages messed up, wrong time, wrong place,” he added.
Singhania answers thanks to the police
Singhania later shared his own statement about X, describing the incident as deeply disturbing.
“My world was turned upside down this weekend. As some of you may have seen, I appeared on a recent episode of Vitaliy Zdorovecki’s live series where I was falsely portrayed as someone who attempted to engage in inappropriate behavior. This allegation is completely false.”
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He said Vitaly has since publicly acknowledged the mistake. He also thanked officers from the Santa Ana Police Department for their professionalism.
“I am sincerely grateful to officers Renaldo Galstian, Lorenzo Sanchez and Joanna Hatziefstratia for their professionalism and for taking the time to carefully evaluate the situation and find the truth,” he wrote.
Singhania added that the incident led to harassment, condemnation and damage to his personal and professional relationships. He emphasized the importance of due process and proper verification, noting that “mistakes, when made in public, can have serious consequences for innocent lives.”
