Youtuber arrested for alleged pond explosion

Tumakuru: A social media influencer was arrested for allegedly causing an explosion using sodium in an agricultural pond in the district, police said on Monday.

N M Prathap, also known as Drone Prathap, was arrested on Friday evening after police received a video of the incident that he had uploaded to his YouTube channel, they said.

The video, which went viral on social media platforms, showed the explosion occurring at Sree Rayara Brundavana farm in Janakaloti, Madhugiri taluk.

However, when questioned, 27-year-old Prathap claimed that it was a science experiment performed as part of a promotional video for his YouTube channel. He later deleted the video, a senior police officer said.

Based on the video, a case was registered against Prathap under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act and Section 288 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the officer said.

Prathap is a former Bigg Boss Kannada contestant.

After his arrest, Prathap was taken into police custody for three days. He was produced before the court, which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, the officer added.