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.Police said the victim allegedly died by suicide at his residence in Chennai as he was targeted for offering financial advises without license (Representative file image) (Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times)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. Police said he had allegedly faced pressure over providing financial advice without the required registration with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).(Also read: Social media influencer with 1.4 mn followers found dead in Chennai; suicide suspected)Jason Samuel denies cyberbullying allegationsSamuel, CEO of US-based venture studio Zemuria, denied the cyber-bullying allegations in a post on X, saying he had only questioned the influencer’s credentials and authority to offer financial advice.“I am deeply saddened, heavily grieving, shocked and frozen at what has happened and I mourn the loss of life,” Samuel said in his X post.“I have not cyber-bullied him. I pointed out his lack of license and authority, misrepresentation of license and fraud on SEBI and AMFI where he has not got SEBI RIA for his work and misrepresented that he had an AMFI license when he got the ARN only recently. i.e., his illegal activity.“I literally asked him in the video to come back and do this with a proper SEBI license. I never intended or expected this drastic measure to happen and I mourn the loss,” he concluded.Samuel had accused the influencer of offering financial advice and urging followers to invest money without being registered with SEBI. Samuel alleged that the influencer’s activities were illegal and demanded that he provide proof of his registration.Influencer accused Samuel of extortionA 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 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.The influencer also accused Samuel of defaming him and subjecting him to mental harassment.In a separate post on X, Samuel denied demanding a ₹3 crore bribe.Responding to a user who asked, “Did you demand 3 cr from him?” Samuel replied: “No”.On his alleged extortion bid, Samuel further said: “Atrociously defamatory and it’s false. I’ve zero need/necessity to do that.”Influencer had alleged mental harassment In one of his last videos, the influencer said he was upset after a complaint was filed against him with SEBI. 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. 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.If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669;Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918,Roshni Foundation (Secunderabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000,ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290
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