Republic TV's distribution head, Ghanshyam Singh, has been arrested by the Mumbai Police's Crime Branch from his residence early morning on Tuesday. He has been arrested in connection with a police case for alleged manipulation of ratings to show the news channel and its programmes as the most watched. Singh, who is also Assistant Vice President of the Republic Media Network, was picked up from his residence around 7.40 am, the official said.
The latest arrest has taken the number of people held by the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the crime branch in the case to 12. Singh is expected to be produced before a court on Tuesday.
His arrest comes at a time when Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami has been in police custody after being arrested last week in an abetment to suicide case filed in 2018. The case, which was closed in 2019, has been 'reopened' by the Maharashtra Police after they said they had found new evidence.
According to Republic TV, Ghanshyam has been questioned several times for over 30-40 hours by the Crime Branch unit in the alleged TRP case in the past few weeks and has been fully cooperating with the probe. Singh is the 12th accused to be taken in by the Mumbai Police in connection with the case over alleged manipulation of television rating point or TRP, NDTV reports.
According to the case, some viewers have testified they were paid to keep Republic TV on even when they were not watching, police sources said. Two local channels - Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema - were named in early investigations into the alleged TRP scam.
The fake TRP scam came to light last month when ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers. Hansa is one of BARC's vendors on engagement with panel homes or people's meters.
(With PTI inputs)
