New Delhi:
As police probe is underway, YouTuber Gaurav Wasan, who shot the video of the owner of popular eatery ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’, alleged on Tuesday that he is being defamed and claimed that he had handed over Rs 3.78 lakh to him. Nearly a month after his video went viral, 80-year-old Kanta Prasad, the owner of ‘Baba Ka Dhaba’ in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, filed a complaint against the YouTuber for misappropriation of funds. Talking to PTI, Prasad said he has received a cheque of Rs 2.33 lakh from Wasan.
When asked about the remaining amount, he said he is not aware of how much donation was collected on his behalf and only Wasan and people who donated the money exactly know about this. “I have given a complaint to police and they are investigating the matter. I don’t know how much money was collected as donation on my behalf,” Prasad said.
Denying allegations against him, Wasan, who shot the video and posted it online urging people to help the elderly couple, said, “They are defaming me by making such false claims. They said I received Rs 25 lakh as donation in my bank account, which is not true.” The YouTuber said that if it is true, then it should reflect in his bank account and transactions, claiming that the entire amount he received for Prasad has been handed over to him. When asked about the exact amount he received through fundraiser, Wasan said he got approximately around Rs 3.78 lakh, which also includes the amount received via Paytm.
Wasan claimed that he has given two cheques – one of Rs 1 lakh while another of Rs 2.33 lakh to Prasad. He said apart from this, Rs 45,000 was also given to Prasad via Paytm. “I am being accused of misappropriating funds. I am being called a thief. People are now pointing fingers at my family. This is not right,” he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, “We are scrutinising the bank accounts and other details. The enquiry is still ongoing.” After the video shot by Wasan on October 7 went viral, Baba ka Dhaba was the cynosure of many eyes across the country, including celebs from showbiz, who posted appeals asking people to go there and get themselves a meal. In his complaint to police, Prasad had alleged that Wasan “intentionally and deliberately shared only his and his family/friends bank details and mobile numbers with the donors and collected huge amount of donation through different mode of payments i.e bank account/wallets without providing any information to the complainant”.
The owner of the food joint also accused the YouTuber of not providing details of the financial transactions to him.
