Indian YouTuber Akshay Vashisht arrested after claiming Goa Airport is ‘haunted’

Dubai: Police in India have arrested a popular YouTuber after he posted a video claiming that Goa’s newest international airport was haunted — allegations authorities called false and damaging to one of the state’s flagship infrastructure projects.

Akshay Vashisht, who runs two channels with a combined 572,000 subscribers focused on horror stories and paranormal “case studies,” was detained last Wednesday in Delhi. His arrest followed a complaint by Goa Police’s social media monitoring unit, which accused him of spreading misinformation about Manohar International Airport at Mopa, a $283 million facility that opened in late 2022.

The video, titled “Goa ka Haunted Airport” (“Goa’s Haunted Airport”), claimed the airport was built on a cremation ground and alleged that airline staff and pilots had reported “paranormal activity,” including sightings of a woman in a red sari on the runway. Vashisht also suggested that some pilots avoided night flights due to the supposed hauntings.

Police dismissed the claims as “false, malicious and superstitious,” saying they were intended to alarm the public and boost his channel’s reach. Investigators further accused him of fabricating testimonies from supposed subscribers to lend credibility to the video.

A team from Mopa Airport police station travelled to Delhi to arrest him, seizing his phone, laptop and camera. He faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, India’s new penal code, for public mischief and criminal conspiracy. Authorities said they were also considering action against a Facebook page that shared the same clip.

Officials expressed concern that such rumours could damage the image of Goa’s second international airport, which aims to handle 12 million passengers annually within five years. The airport is fully operational 24/7 and has reported no disruptions.