Harish had built a social media following of more than 1.3 million on Instagram through his popular brand, ‘Finance With Harish’, which he also ran on YouTube. According to his father, Harish was targeted by Samuel. His Instagram account was disabled by Meta following allegations made by Samuel, after which Harish began releasing videos through a new handle. Samuel has denied allegations that he harassed Harish.
In the video, which Harish’s friends claimed was his last, the influencer spoke about losing five years of hard work, apparently referring to the blocking of his social media accounts following complaints against him.
“It is five years of my hard work. If you find any mistakes in me, you can question me, and I am ready to respond. But my five years of hard work have been stolen,” Harish said.
He further alleged that he and his family had faced harassment and that money was demanded from him. He did not mention anyone by name in the video.
“He said that my family would be targeted. He claimed that he had connections with MLAs and even chief minister in Puducherry, knowing that I belong to Puducherry. He also demanded money and asked me, ‘Where will you go without paying me?’” Harish alleged.
Describing the mental distress he was experiencing, Harish said he did not know how to respond to the situation. He also claimed that the circumstances created by the alleged harassment made him feel that other people were being unfairly discredited because of him.
“I don't know what to do. He created a situation in which I felt that other people were getting a bad name because of me,” he said.
Harish further described the impact on his personal relationships, saying that he felt guilty even when meeting his friends. He alleged that the person harassing him had threatened him with possible action by the Income Tax Department, including a penalty of 60 per cent and the possibility of imprisonment.
“I felt guilty even when I met my friends. He mentally harassed me by saying that if the Income Tax Department imposed a penalty, I would have to pay a 60% penalty and could even face imprisonment,” Harish said.
He also alleged that the person he described as his harasser had sought money in exchange for reaching a compromise. According to Harish, he was warned that further videos would be released if he did not agree to the demand.
“He told me, ‘Instead of facing all that, pay me the money and let us reach a compromise. Otherwise, we will release part 2 and part 3,’” he alleged.
Meanwhile, Samuel addressed the controversy in a post on X on Tuesday evening, saying he was shocked by Harish’s death. However, he maintained that his actions had been limited to pointing out that the influencer had “misrepresented” facts.
Samuel also claimed that Harish was not a SEBI Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) and had obtained his AMFI Registration Number (ARN) from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) only recently.
Harish’s father has alleged that the harassment and bullying by Samuel led his son to take his own life. Samuel has denied harassing Harish, leaving the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the influencer’s death at the centre of the controversy.
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