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Indian-American cleared of false child predator claim
He alleged racism and online abuse after the accusation spread widely.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 16, Apr 2026
- 17:31 EDT
- 28
Vitaly Zdorovetskiy's apology / X/ @Extreo_
An Indian-American man has been cleared of any wrongdoing after being falsely accused of attempting to meet a minor during a livestreamed “sting operation” in Santa Ana, California, earlier this month.
Akash Singhania was confronted on camera by streamer Vitaly Zdorovetskiy and his team during a live broadcast aimed at exposing alleged child predators. The group accused him of arranging to meet a minor through a Snapchat decoy, claims that were amplified in real time to a large online audience.
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Singhania denied the allegations during the confrontation, maintaining that he believed he had been communicating with an adult and repeatedly asked the team to verify the messages on his phone. As the situation escalated, he called the police.
Officers from the Santa Ana Police Department arrived at the scene, reviewed the available evidence, and detained him briefly for questioning. Police later determined that he had committed no crime and was not a suspect.
In a recording shared by Singhania, an officer told his father that he was “at the wrong place at the wrong time” and that investigators determined “he’s not our suspect and he is not arrested and he is not getting charged with anything.” The officer also said Singhania remained cooperative during the investigation.
Everyone’s asking for details, so now you can hear it directly from the Police.
— Akash Singhania (@Akash_S9) April 15, 2026
I was falsely accused and fully cleared.
Listen to this recording of the officer confirming my innocence directly to my father. This false accusation, along with the racism, harassment, and… pic.twitter.com/mmxHVycCkm
In a statement posted on X, Singhania said, “My world was turned upside down this weekend,” adding that he was “wrongfully portrayed as someone attempting to engage in inappropriate conduct” and that the accusation was “completely false.”
He also thanked officers Renald Galstian, Lorenzo Sanchez, and Joanna Hatziefstratiou for their professionalism, saying their intervention helped establish the truth amid the public confrontation.
My world was turned upside down this weekend.
— Akash Singhania (@Akash_S9) April 14, 2026
As some of you may have seen, I was featured on a recent episode of Vitaly Zdorovetskiy’s live series, where I was wrongfully portrayed as someone attempting to engage in an inappropriate conduct. This accusation is completely false.… https://t.co/3EzfB1TSV4
Videos from the incident, which circulated widely online, show Singhania being surrounded and accused in a residential neighborhood, with members of the group continuing to press claims even as he denied them. Some clips also drew criticism online for alleged racist remarks during the exchange.
Zdorovetskiy later issued a public apology, stating: “My team and I mistakenly portrayed Akash Singhania as a child predator. This was a mistake that I deeply regret. He never intended to meet a minor and has been cleared of all wrongdoing.” He added that the video had been removed and urged others to delete copies.
Singhania said the fallout has been severe despite the clarification, citing harassment, racial abuse, and damage to his personal and professional relationships.
“While I appreciate that the mistake has been acknowledged, the impact of the false accusation has been significant,” he wrote. “This experience has shown me how important due process and verification are because mistakes, when made publicly, can have serious consequences on innocent lives.”
Singhania is now planning to pursue a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit following the incident.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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