Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh revealed that the city police is investigating a scam involving manipulation of TRPs by three television channels, including Republic TV, headed by Arnab Goswami.
The Mumbai police commissioner told reporters on Thursday that the police busted a fake TRP racket involving three channels—Fakt Marathi, Box Cinema and Republic TV—and arrested two people.
According to media reports, the police commissioner said the accused asked some households to continuously run some channels even when they are not watching TV or not at home, and had bribed the families to do this. The households would be paid every month for doing this, he said, and added that some of these households admitted that they were being paid to run a channel at home.
"When we checked on the rating scam, the people admitted that they were given money to watch the channel. There are chances of promoters and directors being involved. Further investigation is on. Bank accounts, funds in accounts of the channels will be examined,” the police commissioner was quoted as saying.
"Around 2,000 barometers installed in Mumbai were being used to manipulate TRPs," Singh said.
A few officials of the Broadcast Audience Research Council, which releases these ratings, are also being questioned in connection with the alleged scam.
Owners of Marathi channels Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema have been arrested while promoters and directors of Republic TV will be questioned, he said.
Reacting to the police commissioner's claims, Arnab Goswami issued a statement saying these allegations are false. "Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has made false allegations against Republic TV because we have questioned him in the Sushant Singh Rajput case investigation. Republic TV will file a criminal defamation case against Mumbai police commissioner," the statement.