Bengaluru police on Monday said that it has arrested a street vendor for misbehaving with a tourist and Youtuber from the Netherlands who was recording a video in a busy shopping lane in Chickpete’s Chor Bazaar.
Police said that the person in the video of the Dutch traveller Predo Mota had been identified as Navab Hayath Sharif, a street vendor, and action has been taken against him under the Karnataka Police Act.
In a YouTube video, titled “Attacked At The Thieves Market In India,” Pedro wrote, “Foreigner travelling in India experiences the thieves market in Bangalore, also known as the Sunday market or chor bazaar. But exploring the area started out on the wrong foot as an angry man attacked me by grabbing and twisting my hand and arm, lunging after me as I tried to escape. After I had some street food, met great local Indian people and haggled for a new buttoned shirt.” According to police sources, the incident took place two months ago and the vlogger has since left the country. The video, however, was uploaded to YouTube on Sunday.
Several clips of the video have been shared online showing Mota asking the vendor to “Please let me go, sir.” The traveller later manages to free himself and continues onward in the bustling market.
@BlrCityPolice Dutch tourist/Youtuber attacked in Chicpet, Bengaluru without any reason.https://t.co/DzofarcZT0 pic.twitter.com/EaablNuzoU
— Jaspal Singh (@jaspal811982) June 11, 2023
Soon after the video went viral on social media, several users urged Bengaluru police to take action against the accused.
“Pertaining to this, action has been taken and the concerned person rounded up. Strict action will be taken against him. No such misbehaviour with foreign tourists will be tolerated,” the Bengaluru Police said in a tweet in response to a post with videos that purportedly showed the blogger being harassed.
Sources said that police investigated the matter and reached out to Pedro Mota, who said that he does not remember when this incident took place. The accused is an auto driver and sells secondhand clothing. He was reportedly afraid that the YouTuber would give the video to police who might take action against him, which prompted him to accost the tourist.
In December 2022, a YouTuber from South Korea was harassed by two men on a street in Mumbai while she was streaming live. Mumbai Police arrested two persons after the video of the incident went viral.