Who is Bobby Kataria? Controversial Gurugram influencer arrested for running 'human trafficking' racket

Bobby Kataria is a controversial Youtuber and social media “influencer” who is infamous for posting controversial content and propagating gun and gang culture on his social media accounts, particularly on Instagram.

Gurugram News: Gurugram police on Monday arrested controversial YouTuber and social media influencer Bobby Kataria for allegedly organizing human trafficking. Officials said Kataria was arrested from his Gurugram office following a complaint filed against him by two men, accusing the infamous influencer of defrauding them of over Rs 4 lakh on the pretext of getting them a job abroad.

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An official said a complaint was filed against Bobby Kataria by one Arun Kumar, a native of Fatehpur, and Manish Tomar, a resident of Dholana, Uttar Pradesh, stating that they came across an advertisement on the official Instagram account and Kataria's YouTube channel, provide a job opportunity abroad.

The duo contacted Kataria and were invited to meet him at his office in a Gurugram mall. Later, Kumar and Tomar were asked to deposit Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.59 lakh respectively in Kataria's account, in exchange for a job opportunity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

However, the two men were given a plane ticket to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

“I met Bobby Kataria on February 1 in his office and he gave me assurance of getting a job in UAE after taking Rs 2,000 as registration fee. I then transferred Rs 1 .5 lakh in his account and I got a ticket to Vientiane (capital of Laos)

Similarly, my friend Manish Tomar was also assured of getting a job in Singapore. Kataria charged Rs 2.59 lakh from Tomar and he too got a ticket to Vientiane and boarded the flight on March 28,” Kumar told police.

“Beaten, forced to commit cybercrimes”

Kumar said that when they landed at Vientiane airport, a man named Abhi, who introduced himself as a friend of Kataria, received them and the duo was then dropped off at a hotel by a Pakistani man.

The next day, the victims were taken to an unnamed Chinese company where they were allegedly assaulted, had their passports confiscated, and forced to commit cyber fraud against U.S. citizens.

“We were taken to an unnamed Chinese company, where we were beaten and our passports confiscated. We were forced to commit cyber fraud targeting American citizens. Around 150 Indians, including women, had been brought there by the through human trafficking and were held hostage,” Kumar alleged.

Bobby Kataria arrested for human trafficking

Fortunately, Kumar and Tomar managed to escape on the third day and went straight to the Indian embassy who sent them back home to India.

After we returned, we asked Kataria to return our money, but he refused,” he said.

Following the complaint, an FIR was registered against Kataria and others under sections 323 (hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 420 (cheating), 364 (kidnapping), 370 ( purchase and alienation of any person). as a slave), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 10/24 of the Immigration Act.

Who is Bobby Kataria?

Bobby Kataria is a controversial Youtuber and social media “influencer” who is infamous for posting controversial content and propagating gun and gang culture on his social media accounts, particularly on Instagram.

In 2022, Bobby Kataria was arrested by Delhi Police for smoking inside an airplane while a Dehradun court issued an arrest warrant against him the same year after he shared a video in which he was seen drinking in public and blocking a road.

Later the same year, an FIR was registered against Kataria by the Gurugram police for beating a woman, posting vulgar messages about her on social media and issuing death threats to her.

Kataria was also arrested from Gurugram for misbehaving with police personnel.

(With PTI inputs)