Probe begins into fake news on young singer’s death in Kochi; police book YouTube, FB channels after father's complaint

Police said fake reports with Avirbhav’s photos and videos claiming his death began circulating on social media in late March.

The singer's father told the police that it seems the posts were created solely to generate traffic and revenue. (Express Illustration)

KOCHI: Police have launched an investigation after fake news about the death of young singer, Avirbhav S, last year’s winner of the reality show Superstar Singer, began circulating online.

The case was registered by Ernakulam Rural Cyber Police based on a complaint filed by Avirbhav’s father, K S Sajimon. Avirbhav, an eight-year-old resident of Idukki, currently lives with his family in Nayathode near Angamaly. He had won the national-level reality show aired on a prominent TV channel in 2023.

According to police, the false reports, which included Avirbhav’s photographs and videos claiming he had passed away, began circulating on social media platforms in the last week of March.

“We have identified several Facebook pages and YouTube channels that circulated the fake news. Requests have been sent to Facebook and YouTube to take down the content,” a police official said.

Among the Facebook pages found sharing the fake news were Bhaijans Brigade, Indian News Flash, and Breaking News. On YouTube, channels named Top Singer and Gk Operation were involved in spreading the false posts.

The case has been registered under Section 336(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for forgery with intent to cheat—a non-bailable offence—as well as under Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act for causing nuisance through communication media. Police have begun tracing those managing the identified pages and channels and plan to summon them for interrogation.

Speaking to TNIE, Avirbhav’s father said the posts appeared to have been created purely to generate online traffic and ad revenue.

“The fake news began spreading after March 20. We believe it was aimed at increasing views and monetisation. We’ve also identified the channel that first posted the news and hope the police will take strong action,” Sajimon said.

Avirbhav was just seven when he won the reality show for his impressive renditions of classic Hindi songs. His sister also has a musical background, having been the second runner-up in a Telugu reality show in 2018.