Who is Bobby Kataria, social media influencer arrested for human trafficking

Controversial social media influencer Balwant Kataria aka Bobby is making headlines again, now for alleged human trafficking.

The 38-year-old man, known for his frequent run-ins with the law, was arrested on Monday (May 27) after two men filed a complaint against him with the Gurugram police. They alleged that Kataria defrauded them of over ₹4 lakh on the pretext of getting them a job abroad.

Who is Bobby Kataria?

A resident of Gurugram, Kataria is a social media influencer with over 3 lakh followers on Instagram. His Instagram and YouTube accounts were deactivated after his arrest.

Kataria, who hails from Basai village in Haryana, claims to be a professional bodybuilder and state record holder in powerlifting on his social media profiles. He is often seen sharing fitness and nutrition tips with his followers on his social media.

He is also the founder of Yuva Ekta Foundation, an NGO based in Gurugram.

Known for posting content promoting gun and gang culture on his social media pages, Kataria has sparked several controversies and been arrested at least twice in recent years for his conduct in public.

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

The same year, the Gurugram police filed a case against the bodybuilder for beating up a woman, posting vulgar messages about her on social media and issuing death threats to her.

He was also arrested in Gurugram for misbehaving with the police.

What is he accused of now?

Two men, both residents of Uttar Pradesh, told Gurugram police that Kataria had promised to help them find jobs in the UAE and Singapore and took ₹4 lakh from them for the same. However, he sent them to an Asian country where they were forced to work in a fake call center and asked to scam Americans.

According to the complainants – Arun Kumar, a native of Fatehpur, and Manish Tomar, a resident of Dholana in Uttar Pradesh – they came across an advertisement on Instagram offering the opportunity to work abroad.

The announcement was posted from Kataria's official Instagram handle and YouTube channel.

After contacting the influencer, they were asked to meet him at his office in a Gurugram mall.

“I met Bobby Kataria on February 1 at his office and he gave me the assurance of getting a job in the UAE after taking ₹2,000 application fee. I then transferred ₹1.5 lakh to his account and got a ticket to Vientiane (capital of Laos),” Kumar told police.

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

He said that when they landed at Vientiane airport, they were received by a person named Abhi who introduced himself as a friend of Kataria. “A Pakistani man then dropped us off at a hotel,” he said.

Kumar said the next day they were taken to an unnamed Chinese company where they were beaten and their passports confiscated.

“We were forced to commit cyber fraud targeting American citizens. Around 150 Indians, including women, were brought there through human trafficking and are being held hostage,” he said.

“On the third day, we managed to escape and approached the Indian embassy. After returning, we asked Kataria to return our money, but he refused,” the complainant 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.

Kataria was arrested from her office in Gurugram on Monday.