‘Finance with Harish’ suicide: YouTuber Jason Samuel arrested on abetment charge

A popular Tamil YouTuber Jason Samuel has been arrested by the Kannathur police in Chennai in connection with the alleged suicide of another well-known Tamil finance Influencer V Harish.  The 26-year-old operated the Instagram account ‘Finance with Harish’ with over 1.3 million followers until recently. He died by alleged suicide on Tuesday, October 20 in his rented residence in Muttukadu, Chennai. This followed an exposé by Jason, a YouTuber who has previously called out many content creators. 

A case was filed against Jason following the complaint of Harish’s father J Vinayagam, who accused Jason of defamation, cyberbullying and mental harassment.

In his video titled “Dark World of Finance Influencers,” posted on October 18, Jason made a series of allegations against Harish. According to Jason, Harish’s verified Instagram account had been suspended after users reported him for giving financial advice without the required credentials. Jason alleged that Harish was not registered with SEBI and had illegally recommended stocks and mutual funds. The video showed clips of Harish recommending stocks and mutual funds on his own Instagram account. It also questioned other creators who had vouched for Harish’s credentials.

Before the suicide, Harish made a video in which he accused Jason of attempting to extort money from him. “If I have committed any wrongdoing, you can question it. And I will answer it, but my five years of hard work are being stolen,” Harish said in the video.

He alleged that Jason had tried to extort money from him by claiming to have connections with several politicians in Puducherry and threatening to publish a series of videos against him if he did not pay. Harish also accused Jason of defaming him and subjecting him to mental harassment.

Harish’s death has drawn condemnation from members of the content creator community, several of whom have alleged that he was driven to suicide by cyberbullying.

Meanwhile, Jason denied cyberbullying Harish, saying that he had only questioned the influencer’s credentials and alleged violations of financial regulations. “I literally asked him in the video to come back and do this with a proper SEBI license. I never intended or expected this drastic measure to happen, and I mourn the loss,” Jason said.