YouTuber Jason Samuel has been arrested over alleged extortion and harassment of Finance With Harish creator V Harish, who died by suicide.
YouTuber Jason Samuel Vijayakumar has been arrested in India after police accused him of trying to extort money from V Harish, the financial influencer behind Finance With Harish, who died by suicide on October 20.
Tambaram City Police announced the 30-year-old’s arrest on October 22 following a complaint from Harish’s father. Investigators allege Samuel threatened Harish and published defamatory videos about him. Samuel denies demanding money or bullying the creator.
Harish, 27, was from Puducherry and had built an audience of more than a million people through his financial content. He died at his rented home near Chennai amid a public dispute over his professional credentials and the blocking of his social media accounts.
A Dispute Over Financial Advice Became a Police Investigation
Samuel had questioned whether Harish was properly registered to provide investment advice. According to the family’s complaint, videos and posts published on October 18 challenged his credentials with the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Association of Mutual Funds in India.
Harish’s father, J Vinayagam, alleges that his son was subjected to sustained harassment, defamatory posts and threats. He told police that the pressure had caused Harish severe distress.
The loss of his accounts was another part of the complaint. Harish’s established social media accounts had been blocked, and a replacement channel he opened was also taken down, according to police. His father alleged that Samuel had threatened to prevent him from operating new accounts.
Vinayagam asked investigators to preserve digital evidence, examine a video his son recorded before his death and investigate the account suspensions.
Samuel Denies Asking for Money
I never approached Harish asking for money. I just pointed out what’s illegal,
Samuel said in a response to the allegations.
He maintained that his criticism concerned Harish’s qualifications and authority to offer financial advice, denied bullying him and expressed grief over his death.
Police said they examined witness statements and documentary evidence before making the arrest. The case was registered at Kanathur police station under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, India’s criminal code, which concerns abetment of suicide. Samuel was subsequently brought before a court and remanded to judicial custody.
The police announcement did not detail the alleged payment demand or release the evidence supporting it. Those allegations now form part of the criminal investigation into Harish’s death.