New Delhi Food blogger Gaurav Wasan, of Swad Official, who had shot the heartrending viral video of a roadside Malviya Nagar eatery, Baba ka Dhaba, to show the plight of an elderly couple, who run the place, has been accused by YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary of running an online scam. In a recent video uploaded Chaudhary, it is alleged that Wasan had sought donations on the pretext of helping the poor couple, but did not transfer the donation money to Kanta Prasad, owner of Baba ka Dhaba. Now, in an exclusive chat, Wasan tells us that these accusations are based on hearsay, and he has not done any “fraud”.
Earlier this month, after the video of the couple, which was on the cusp of penury, had gone viral, people from all over the country had rallied in their support. This included various Bollywood actors, and soon after Delhiites started thronging to the food stall.
Wasan, on being asked about the accusations of fraudulence, says, “I had given him (dhaba owner, Kanta Prasad) a check of ₹2.33 lakh, and transferred ₹1 lakh to his account, which completes the ₹3.33 lakh that I had received as donation in his name. I’m in the process of arranging bank statements to prove the same.”
Further refuting all claims of embezzlement, Wasan says, “All allegations that have been levelled against me are false. On October 9, I had assured Baba that his money was safe with me, and I have a proof of the same. I’m in the process of arranging bank statements to prove the same.”
In the video that Chaudhary had released, he accused Wasan of going to give the money to the dhaba owners after he had released the video. He adds to his claims saying Wasan had collected over ₹20 lakh in Baba’s name. Wasan, however, says, “I went to give the cheque to Kanta Prasad at 1pm the day when the video that had accused me was uploaded at 5pm... Also, if there were ₹25 lakhs in my account, as alleged, there would be bank statements to support that claim. But there aren’t any!”
{{/usCountry}}In the video that Chaudhary had released, he accused Wasan of going to give the money to the dhaba owners after he had released the video. He adds to his claims saying Wasan had collected over ₹20 lakh in Baba’s name. Wasan, however, says, “I went to give the cheque to Kanta Prasad at 1pm the day when the video that had accused me was uploaded at 5pm... Also, if there were ₹25 lakhs in my account, as alleged, there would be bank statements to support that claim. But there aren’t any!”
{{/usCountry}}Responding to the growing clamour on social media for proof of donations, Wasan says that he will put out all evidence in the public domain. “People who are asking for proof aren’t wrong in doing so, and I will put out all proofs necessary. These allegations have been made only to pull me down, there is no truth in them!”
“I’ll soon be uploading all the evidences, and then people can themselves decide,” he concludes.
Author tweets @bhagat_mallika
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