Tech CEO Jason Samuel has denied cyberbullying a Chennai-based financial influencer who was found dead at his residence on Tuesday night, allegedly by suicide. The denial comes after the influencer accused Samuel of attempting to extort ₹ 3 crore from him and threatening to publish videos against him. The influencer’s father has also filed a police complaint alleging sustained cyberbullying, defamatory posts and threats by Samuel.
The influencer was known for posting videos in Tamil on Instagram and YouTube, offering financial advice on investments in mutual funds, trading and other financial instruments. He alleged that Samuel had claimed to have connections with several politicians in Puducherry and threatened to release a series of videos against him if he did not pay.
Police said he had allegedly faced pressure over providing financial advice without the required registration with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
A video recorded before the influencer’s death has surfaced in which he accused Zemuria CEO Jason Samuel of attempting to extort money from him.
He alleged that he had faced cyberbullying over his financial advice content and that those targeting him had threatened his family. “I have been doing this for the last five years and they (cyber bullying) are allegedly threatening my family by saying I know this chief minister, I know this lawmaker.
In one of his last videos, the influencer said he was upset after a complaint was filed against him with SEBI. I can remove all your videos”, he said in the video, adding that he had been ‘mentally harassed’ by people who were allegedly unhappy with his growth.
