An Indian man has come forward after being wrongly accused of trying to meet a minor during a livestreamed sting operation by a Russian YouTuber, who has now publicly apologised for the error.
The creator, known as Vitaly on social media, admitted that he and his team had mistakenly identified Akash Singhania as a suspected child predator in a video that has since been deleted. The footage showed the group confronting Singhania in a residential neighbourhood, accusing him of inviting a 16-year-old girl on a date.
The girl, who was part of the team, alleged that he had sent her messages on Snapchat. However, Singhania maintained that he believed he was speaking to an 18-year-old. “I am not trying to fight this, I am not a violent person,” Singhania said in the clip, even as the group continued to press their claims and suggested he may have used multiple accounts.
Vitaly issues an apology after a p—phile sting gone wrong, where they repeatedly accused the wrong man of being a p—phile.
“My team and I mistakenly portrayed Akash Singhania as a child pred*tor. This was a mistake that I deeply regret. He never intended to meet a minor and has… pic.twitter.com/FOP5qdmkHi
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) April 14, 2026
Singhania later called the police, who arrived at the scene and reviewed the situation. Authorities subsequently confirmed that he had not committed any wrongdoing.
Russian YouTuber apologises
Following the incident and growing backlash on social media, Vitaly issued a public apology across platforms, including Instagram and X. “My team and I mistakenly portrayed Askash Singhania as a child predator. This was a mistake that I deeply regret. He never intended to meet a minor and has been cleared of all wrongdoing,” Vitaly said in a statement.
“I apologise to Mr Singhania, his family, his friends, and anyone else affected by this mistake,” he added.
Vitaly also stated that the video had been taken down from all platforms and urged others to delete any saved copies. He further appealed to viewers to stop contacting Singhania, describing the incident as a learning experience for his team.
Akash Singhania reacts
Sharing his side of the story on X, Singhania said the false accusation had deeply disrupted his life.
“My world was turned upside down this weekend,” he wrote in a post on X. “I was wrongfully portrayed as someone attempting to engage in inappropriate conduct. This accusation is completely false.”
My world was turned upside down this weekend.
As some of you may have seen, I was featured on a recent episode of Vitaly Zdorovetskiy’s live series, where I was wrongfully portrayed as someone attempting to engage in an inappropriate conduct. This accusation is completely false.… https://t.co/3EzfB1TSV4
— Akash Singhania (@Akash_S9) April 14, 2026
He confirmed that the YouTuber had publicly acknowledged the mistake and thanked officers from the Santa Ana Police Department for their “professionalism and for taking the time to carefully evaluate the situation and establish the truth”.
While he accepted the apology, Singhania said the impact of the incident had already been significant. “I have experienced harassment, judgment, and damage to my personal and professional relationships based on something that has now been proven false,” he wrote.
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Olivia Sarkar is a Senior Content Producer on the Entertainment and Lifestyle desk with 6 years of experience. In 6 years, she worked with ANI, IANS, Zee News. Known for covering trends and engaging storytelling, she covers a wide spectrum of topics including entertainment news, fashion, fitness, health, food, travel, astrology. From major film announcements to industry controversies. Throughout her career, she has interviewed several notable personalities such as Femina Miss India World 2022 Sini Shetty, Miss World 2024 USA contestant Victoria DiSorbo, Miss France 2020 Clémence Botino.Her interview portfolio also includes celebrities like Milind Soman, Tiger Shroff, and Vikrant Massey, along with acclaimed singers Shubha Mudgal and Padma Shri awardee Dr. Jaspinder Narula. Beyond work, Olivia enjoys exploring new food joints, being wanderlust, and writing poetry. You can reach her out on X: @OliviaSarkar11