Mumbai, Feb 13 (IANS): The Khar police in Mumbai have issued a second summons to popular podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, asking him to appear for questioning on Friday in connection with the vulgar and crass comments he made in the show 'India’s Got Latent.'

This comes after he failed to appear at the police station earlier on Thursday despite being given a deadline until 3 p.m.

So far, the police have recorded statements from seven individuals, including well-known YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, content creator Apoorva Makhija, and the father of Balraj Singh Ghai, the owner of The Habitat Studio.

Production manager and chief programmer Tushar Pujari, along with three other studio employees, have also provided their testimonies in the case.

According to police sources, Tushar Pujari, who was responsible for selecting contestants for the show, stated that he only shortlisted 14 participants. He claimed that these individuals performed acts on the show, and the winner was determined based on the judges’ scores.

Comedian Samay Raina has been served a second summons by the Maharashtra Cyber Police after his lawyer requested more time due to his ongoing US tour. Despite Raina’s public apology and removal of all episodes from his channel, legal troubles continue to escalate for him. The police have now asked him to appear before it on February 17.

The controversy erupted after comments made by Ranveer Allahbadia about parents and sex on comedian Samay Raina’s show went viral on social media, sparking widespread backlash.

Following public outrage, multiple police complaints were filed against Allahbadia and other persons associated with the show in both Mumbai and Guwahati.

The cyber cell and the Mumbai police are conducting separate investigations in connection with Allahbadia’s remarks on Raina’s YouTube show 'India’s Got Latent'.

An Assam Police team is also in Mumbai in connection with the investigation and met the Maharashtra cyber cell officials on Thursday.