Mumbai Police to probe 3 channels, including Republic TV, for TRP manipulation

Three channels, including Republic TV, are being investigated by Mumbai Police for TRP tampering, and two persons have been arrested in the matter, reports suggest.

The other two channels, according to an India Today report, are Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema. These channels are alleged to have distorted the apparatus used by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) for rating channels.

Officials of Republic TV, which has claimed the highest television rating points (TRPs) among news channels, will be summoned by the Mumbai Police on October 8 or 9, officials said.

"Anyone involved in the channel, no matter how senior, will be questioned, and if involved, they will be investigated," Mumbai Police chief Paramvir Singh said in a press conference. He added that more channels could also be examined.

According to an NDTV report, this is a part of a broader investigation on manipulation of news trend and spread of 'false narrative'.

The Mumbai Police chief said the bank accounts of the concerned channels would also be investigated. Moreover, officials will also investigate whether the funds received from advertisers are 'proceeds of crimes', according to reports.

"Household data were used by the channels for ratings manipulation and they received illegal advertising funds. This will be considered proceeds of cheating," the Mumbai Police chief said.

This comes days after the city's police had claimed that over 80,000 fake accounts had been created on various social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram across countries and continents to troll Mumbai Police and its officials.