Police in India’s popular coastal state of Goa have arrested a YouTuber after he posted a video claiming that the state’s new international airport was haunted.
Akshay Vashisht, who runs a popular channel with more than 570,000 subscribers dedicated to horror stories and paranormal case studies, was detained in Delhi on Wednesday.
His arrest followed a complaint by a police constable from Goa’s social media monitoring cell, who alleged the video spread false information about the newly built Manohar International Airport at Mopa.
According to the police complaint, the video – shared on YouTube and Facebook under titles including Evil Haunted Goa Airport and Goa ka haunted airport (Goa’s haunted airport) – alleged the airport had been built on a cremation ground.
In the video, Mr Vashisht claimed that airline staff had reported “paranormal activities” and that pilots often refused to operate night flights due to ghostly sightings, including that of a mysterious woman in a red saree on the runway.
A version of the video remained viewable on Facebook but another on Mr Vashisht’s main YouTube channel had been made private as of Thursday.
Police said the claims in the video were “false, malicious and superstitious” and designed to alarm the public while promoting the creator’s channel. Authorities also accused him of narrating purported testimonies from his subscribers to lend credibility to the claims.
A team from Mopa Airport police station travelled to Delhi to arrest Vashisht from the Dwarka area. Officers seized his mobile phone, laptop and camera and brought him to the Mopa airport police station for further investigation.
He faces an initial chargesheet filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code covering public mischief and common intention – people gathering with the intent to commit a crime.
Police said they were also considering whether to pursue action against the administrator of the Facebook page that circulated the clip.
The Rs 34bn (£283m) Manohar International Airport opened in December 2022 in Mopa and began operations a year later. Only Goa’s second airport, it has a goal of drawing 12 million passengers per year in the next 5 years in order to boost tourism and connectivity in one of India’s most popular destinations for both domestic and international travel.
Authorities said unfounded rumours could damage its reputation at a time when the facility is still building international credibility.
This isn’t the first time officials have clashed with social media influencers over the state’s image; earlier this year a spate of posts appeared claiming there was reduced footfall at Goa’s beaches and resorts due to increased prices of hotels and restaurants.
Goa’s tourism minister Rohan Khaunte insisted in July that there had been no drop in tourist numbers and claimed without evidence that “paid”… “so-called influencers” were deliberately perpetuating false narratives to harm the image of the state.
