Ghaziabad's Khoda Police has arrested Bhojpuri actor, IPL commentator, and YouTuber Mani Meraj, who has millions of followers, from Patna, Bihar. The arrest follows a complaint filed on September 18 by a fellow woman YouTuber, accusing him of rape, forced religious conversion, abortion, and fraud. The accused was brought to Ghaziabad after the police obtained a transit remand.
Police investigation revealed that Mani Meraj previously worked as a butcher before gaining popularity on social media through comedy videos, eventually amassing millions of followers. Following his online success, he acted in Bhojpuri films, with one of his movies released recently. He also commentated on IPL matches in Bhojpuri for Jio TV.
The woman YouTuber alleged that Mani Meraj befriended her under a false identity, drugged her, and repeatedly raped her under the pretext of marriage.
She further claimed that the accused forced unnatural sex, pressured her to convert her religion, and compelled her to undergo an abortion. According to her, the accused and his family also pressured her to eat beef and recite the kalma (Islamic creed).
The woman stated that the alleged abuse had been ongoing for the past three years and said that the accused also defrauded her of several lakh rupees.
Hindu Raksha Dal leader Pinky Chaudhary said, "A case has been filed against him. We will continue our fight against such people to get justice for our sisters and daughters. Our sister will now work to enlighten other young Hindu girls about love jihad. If a girl gets carried away by someone else's behaviour, she should be forgiven and taught what's right and wrong so that others can be saved from falling into the same trap."
The complainant said, "This mistake was made by me. I trusted someone like that. I appeal for forgiveness and demand the strictest punishment against Mani Meraj."
Confirming the arrest, ACP Indirapuram Abhishek Srivastava said, "Following a detailed investigation by the Khoda police team, the accused has been arrested from Patna. Further action is underway." Ghaziabad police are now interrogating the accused to probe the alleged "love jihad" angle in the case.
