Noida Police on Friday debunked social media rumors that Germany based YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has been arrested, calling the posts, “false, misleading and baseless”.

The clarification came after a spate of X users started posting about the arrests of the popular social media personality from India since Friday morning.

In a fact-check clarification that went viral on social media, the Police Commissionerate Gautam Buddh Nagar said, “Dhruv Rathee has not been arrested by Noida Police. Please do not spread false and misleading information. Kindly cross-verify before sharing on social media.”

The police also warned people not to share misinformation, false rumor or misleading content on social media as it may lead to legal action against the person spreading it.

“General public is appealed not to spread such false, misleading and unverified messages and always verify the authenticity before sharing any information on social media. Strict legal action will be taken against those spreading such misinformation, false rumor and misleading content on social media,” police said in a post on X.

Dhruv Ratheee’s Previous Detention in Gurugram

The fake news about the social media star going into custody came days after his previous detention in Gurugram due to his intentions of staging a protest against some alleged malpractice in electoral rolls.

As reported earlier, the 32-year-old social media personality was detained on Sunday from his residence in Sector 56, Gurugram, with a prohibitory order in force at Jantar Mantar in Delhi where he was planning to stage a protest.

A police official said he was kept under watch at a Crime Branch office in Gurugram before being set free nearly 18 hours later and handed over to his family members at around 3 am on Sunday.

“Yes, he has been set free. His family members came to receive him at a crime branch office where he was kept detained,” a senior official said.

The officer further said that the social media star was released after discussions between the state and Delhi Police, with assurances that he would not be part of a gathering that could create law and order problems in an area under prohibitory orders.

Why Was Rathee Detained?

Police said he was detained under Section 172(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) which deals with detaining or removing a person who resists, refuses to obey or disregards a lawful direction.

Noida police’s latest clarification over Dhruv Rathee comes after he was detained previously in Gurugram. As the police requested people to share such rumors only after verifying the authenticity of the information