Dhingra’s Instagram subscriber count surged from just 28 to nearly 7,000 after his video started circulating
Shamli: A Bengaluru-based social media content creator and cook, Bhupendra Dhingra, 36, was arrested by Shamli Police for allegedly posting a fabricated Instagram video claiming responsibility for the high-profile murder of Haryanvi singer Ankit Baliyan. Baliyan was shot dead by four unidentified armed men outside a gym in Shamli’s Nala Patri area on Aug 26. Shamli SP Narendra Pratap Singh said, “Dhingra’s Instagram subscriber count surged from just 28 to nearly 7,000 after the video started circulating. Consequently, two cases were registered at Shamli cybercrime police station under BNS sections 351(1) for criminal intimidation, 353(2) for false information or rumours intended to promote enmity or ill-will, along with relevant provisions of Information Technology Act, naming Dhingra as an accused.
Police revealed that multiple fake videos regarding the case had begun circulating online.
Dhingra admitted that he did this to garner followers on social media, said police. During interrogation, Dhingra said he aspired to create Haryanvi songs and take on minor acting roles, but struggled with a low social media following. The fake confession video surfaced on the platform the following day, triggering an immediate investigation by the district’s cybercrime team. Police tracked down and arrested Dhingra—a Gurgaon native who worked as a cook at a hotel in Bengaluru—from Bharatpur, Rajasthan, and recovered the mobile phone used to upload the clip. The fabricated post was deliberately designed to mislead authorities handling the murder investigation while artificially boosting the creator’s online reach.