Mumbai police arrest Ghanshyam Singh, Republic TV distribution head in TRP fraud case

Mumbai: Ghanshyam Singh, distribution head of Republic TV is the 12th accused who has been taken into custody on Tuesday by the Mumbai Police in connection with the case over alleged manipulation of television rating point or TRP.

Republic TV has strongly denied the allegation levelled against him and stated that, "He has cooperated throughout and answered all questions of the police to the best of his knowledge and ability. Ghanshyam has personally been through over 40 hours of semi-custodial interrogation, and his current detention crafts a new low in the highhanded tactics of the law and order machinery in the state of Maharashtra which is functioning unchecked." Thus, they termed the arrest as 'illegal'.

Some viewers have agreed that they were paid to keep Republic TV on even when they were not watching, police sources said. Two local channels, Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema were named in early investigations into the alleged TRP scam.

According to the police, they received a complaint in early October from Hansa Research, a company appointed by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which bar-o-meters in households to measure viewership. The company has admitted that some ex-employees have shared some details of the households being tracked and helped manipulate ratings.

Singh's arrest comes just days after Arnab Goswami got arrested by Mumbai police over abetment to suicide charges in connection with Anvay and Kumud Naik's deaths.

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