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CHENNAI: Social media personality and Bigg Boss Tamil Season 9 contestant 'Watermelon Star' Divakar has been arrested by the Chennai police in Madurai for allegedly threatening a YouTube channel employee and demanding Rs 1 lakh, according to a Daily Thanthi report.
Divakar, a native of Madurai and a qualified physiotherapist, shot to fame on Instagram by recreating a popular scene from the film Ghajini. In the scene, actor Suriya, as Sanjay Ramasamy, is seen holding a watermelon and gesturing to those saluting him to move away. Divakar's humorous recreation of the sequence earned him the nickname 'Watermelon Star' and helped him build a significant following on social media.
His popularity grew further after he participated in Tamil Bigg Boss Season 9. Since then, he has been actively appearing in YouTube interviews, sharing entertaining videos on Instagram, and taking part in films and television programmes.
According to the report, Divakar recently uploaded a video on his Instagram page in which he made allegations against several individuals and demanded action against them.
Following the video's release, a person associated with the concerned YouTube channel allegedly contacted Divakar and requested him to remove the content.
Police said Divakar allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from the individual and threatened him with dire consequences, including a death threat. Based on the complaint, the victim approached the Kilpauk police station in Chennai.
The police subsequently registered a case against Divakar under charges related to criminal intimidation and extortion.
Following the registration of the case, a special police team was constituted to trace the social media influencer. The team travelled to Madurai, where Divakar was located and taken into custody on Sunday.
Police sources said the arrest was made in connection with the allegations that he threatened the YouTube channel employee and demanded Rs 1 lakh. Further investigation is under way to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the complaint and examine the evidence collected in the case.