KOLKATA: A 48-year-old YouTuber from West Bengal, who has nearly 4.3 million subscribers across his channels, and his teenage son were arrested on Sunday in Haroa, North 24 Parganas district, for the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl. The girl, a Class 9 student, was reportedly lured with the promise of being featured in comedy and dance videos.
The YouTuber, Arabindu Mondal, was remanded in police custody for five days by the Basirhat sub-divisional court. His son, a minor, was sent to a juvenile correctional facility.
According to investigators, Mondal and his son had approached the girl several months ago with an offer to collaborate on short videos. She accompanied them to various shooting locations, during which the two allegedly recorded her without consent while she was changing clothes. The recordings were then allegedly used to blackmail her into silence after repeated instances of sexual assault.
Police sources stated that Mondal’s son went as far as applying vermillion to the girl’s hair parting — traditionally signifying marriage — before sexually assaulting her.
The victim’s father, a Kolkata Police officer, was reportedly unaware of the abuse until the girl confided in her family. Following her disclosure, an FIR was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and both suspects were promptly taken into custody. Investigators seized phones, cameras and other devices from Arabindu, who runs two YouTube channels —one for videos and shorts of him performing skits, and another where he dances to Hindi and Bengali songs
