Investigators said Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani was part of an internal WhatsApp group in which LCN (logical channel number) was discussed.
Mumbai| Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani has been sent to police custody by 15 December by Mumbai Court. Republic TV Group will today go to Bombay High Court against this decision of the court. Petition for the release of Vikas will also be filed today. He has been arrested in the fake TRP case.
Khanchandani is the 13th person to be arrested in this case. Earlier, Ghanshyam Singh, assistant vice president and distribution head of Republic Media Network, was also arrested. Vikas is the second office-bearer of Republic TV to be arrested.
Arrested after interrogation twice
Confirming the arrest, a senior police official said that Khanchandani’s statement was recorded twice and his role was revealed during the interrogation of Republic TV’s distribution head Ghanshyam Singh.
Also Read: Mumbai Police Files 1400 Page Chargesheet In Fake TRP Scam
The investigating officer said, “We have direct evidence against Khanchandani and have also found his link with the already arrested accused Ghanshyam Singh.”
Police got “important clues” from WhatsApp
Investigators said Khanchandani was part of an internal WhatsApp group in which LCN (logical channel number) was discussed. The crime branch had mentioned in the chargesheet presented in the court that the channel executives, along with cable operators and multi-system operators (multi-system operators), ran Republic TV on dual logical channel numbers (LCNs) or two frequencies, which is violations of the guidelines of Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI).
What is fake TRP case?
The fake TRP manipulation scam surfaced in October when a Hansa official filed a complaint with the Mumbai Police. After this, the owner of Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema was arrested. In November, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch filed a 1,400-page chargesheet in the alleged fake Television Rating Points (TRP) case, which named six channels, including Republic Media Network and News Nation. It was reported that money was being given to increase TRP for almost two years.
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