2 women YouTubers arrested in UP’s Meerut for spreading rumours

Two women YouTubers were arrested by the Brahmpuri Police in Meerut city of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly spreading false rumours about a “drone thief” through social media. The women were later released on bail from the police station.

One of the accused, identified as Layba, a postgraduate student (MSc), runs a beauty parlour and was residing in Rasheed Nagar. She operates an Instagram account under the username meerut_twins_454, which has over 74.1K followers. She has also received a YouTube Silver Play Button for her content creation.

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The other woman, Meenakshi, is an actress in short films and resides in Saraswati Lok. Her Instagram following is comparatively modest, with around 1,530 followers.

On the night of August 5, Layba uploaded a video to her Instagram in which she claimed, “Guys, it’s 3 a.m. and we have found the drone thief. Many people are chasing him, and he’s about to be caught. You were all worried; now we’ll catch him and hand him over to you. Let us know in the comments.” The video ends with the popular jingle “Jagte Raho” (Stay Awake), commonly associated with night watch alerts.

The video quickly went viral, causing panic in the Khata Road area. Himanshu Bhardwaj, the in-charge of Ganeshpuri outpost, filed a complaint at Brahmpuri Police Station on Wednesday. In the complaint, it was stated that the video falsely reported drone activity, creating unnecessary fear among residents.

A case has been registered under IPC Section 353(1) and Section 66D of the IT Act against the Instagram account meerut_twins_454. Additionally, action was taken under Section 351 of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to intentionally spreading fear among the public and is punishable with imprisonment up to two years.

Layba’s brother denied the allegations, claiming, “My sister hasn’t done anything wrong. She just makes normal videos. She isn’t even in Meerut right now. We have nothing more to say.”

Police have also contacted Meta (Instagram’s parent company) and YouTube to request that the video be taken down.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Vipin Tada confirmed the arrests, saying, “A case has been registered against two women who claimed to be influencers and were spreading false rumors about drones. So far, 26 cases have been filed, and over 35 people have been arrested in connection with similar fake news incidents.”

He further clarified that there has been no confirmed case of any drone activity in the area. “While responsible citizens do not believe in such rumors, certain mischief-makers are taking advantage and creating public panic,” he added.
The police are continuing to monitor social media accounts and have warned others against spreading unverified information.