Chennai: Police break open door, arrest YouTuber ‘Savukku’ Shankar after standoff

CHENNAI: Adambakkam police on Saturday arrested popular YouTuber and political commentator ‘Savukku’ Shankar after breaking open the door of his residence following an hours-long standoff.

Police officials reached Shankar’s residence in the morning in connection with a complaint lodged by a film producer. Action has also been initiated against five other members of Shankar’s team, police said.

According to the police, Shankar refused to open the door and insisted that officers first speak to his advocates before entering the premises. In a video from the spot, police officers were heard stating that they were willing to share details of the arrest and produce the warrant if sought in a proper manner by the advocates, but that police could not be prevented from discharging their official duties.

Later, Fire and Rescue Services personnel were called in. The door was eventually broken open, following which police entered the flat and arrested Shankar.

Hours before his arrest, Shankar had released a video on his social media handle claiming that the police were attempting to arrest him in a “false” case filed by a film producer. He said summons had been issued to him in late October and that he had responded, denying the allegations.

“The police are claiming that I and my team assaulted the producer, snatched Rs 2 lakh from him and demanded a huge sum to remove a video. None of this ever happened. This case is completely fabricated,” Shankar said in the video, alleging that the police action was carried out at the instigation of a senior official.

With PTI inputs