TRP scam case: Accused turns approver for police, Another claims Republic paid him 15 lakhs

Ashish Choudhary of Crystal Broadcast, accused in the TRP scam that has rocked Mumbai, has agreed to turn as approver for the police. Choudhary is cooperating with the investigation informed Mumbai Police on Monday.

The remand application filed by Mumbai Police on Monday further claimed that the accused Abhishek Kolwade had revealed that he was paid ₹15 lakh to rig TRPs for Republic TV between January and July. The money was distributed to other accused in the case who paid households to switch to certain channels to increase ratings on the barometers.

11.7 lakh was seized from Kolwade's residence and 2 lakhs as well as laptop and pen drives were seized from Choudhary's office. Choudhary is the second accused to turn approver after Umesh Mishra.

Choudhary was remanded to judicial custody on Monday after being produced in court and paperwork is being filed regarding his move to be an approver. So far the Mumbai Police has arrested 11 persons in the case.

Republic TV, Fakht Marathi, Box Cinema, News Nation and Maha Movies are some of the channels being investigated for artificial inflation of Television Rating Points by bribing households.