Man tries to set barricade on fire, block traffic for social media clout

Delhi Police have arrested a 25-year-old man for trying to set fire an iron barricade and blocking traffic on a flyover at separate locations to shoot reels for his nearly 800,000 Instagram followers, officials said on Saturday.
The man, identified as Pradeep Dhaka, has been booked for damaging public property and obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duties, deputy commissioner of police (outer) Jimmy Chiram said. A fine of ₹36,000 has also been slapped against Dhaka.
Giving details about the arrest, Chiram said that the police spotted videos of a “modified golden car” disrupting traffic near Paschim Vihar and took cognisance of the incident on Friday.
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In the video a man could be seen standing in the middle of the main flyover at Ring Road in Paschim Vihar and his car parked behind him, blocking traffic. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
A team of officials from the Outer District identified the man as Dhaka, who is a resident of Nangloi, through the social media accounts tagged in the reels.
When a police team reached his residence, Dhaka resisted arrest, Chiram said. He was taken into custody after a brief struggle, and his car impounded under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act at the Paschim Vihar East police station.
“The vehicle, ISUZU Hi-Lander, has been seized. It is registered in the name of his mother,” the DCP said. The official added that “plastic weapons” were also found in Dhaka’s car, but did not elaborate on what these were.
In a second video, the man was seen trying to set ablaze an iron barricade of the Delhi Police in Nihal Vihar in outer Delhi. “A case was registered on charges of damaging public property,” the officer said.
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Dhaka, in his bio on social media platforms, describes himself as a producer and financer who also deals in real estate. He also has a YouTube channel, where he would upload the videos of his antics.
The accused is a content creator who made these videos to garner views, the DCP said. “However, he violated traffic rules and damaged government property. We request all content creators to follow traffic rules and obtain proper permission before shooting such videos,” he said.