An Indian YouTuber made waves this week after filming himself while making derogatory remarks against Turkish women. The clips have since gone viral — prompting widespread outrage and an police investigation. Local media reports indicated that the influencer (known as Malik Swashbuckler) was detained by officials after the videos gained momentum.
According to a Turkiye Today report, the Indian tourist was nabbed by the Turkish police following reports and complaints about the videos. However officials have not released any details about the investigation or confirmed the identity of the detained individual. The now-viral videos have also sparked online outrage with many including Indians calling for punitive action against the YouTuber.
Visuals shared online showed the YouTuber — identified as Malik SD Khan — making derogatory comments as he walked through various localities in Turkey. The sexually-coloured remarks were delivered in Hindi with some suggesting that he had switched language to avoid detection. He had later posted the vlogs on his social media handles. Khan eventually took down his YouTube and Instagram accounts amid backlash. However the videos continue to circulate online.
Khan was seen using foul language and objectifying Turkish women — even referring to them as ‘maal’ and ‘item’ in one clip. Another video saw the influencer walking into a Turkish store and asking why they did not have an Indian flag on display. He used Hindi to make snide asides for his viewers during the subsequent interaction. A third video reportedly saw Khan asking viewers if he should ‘rape his Turkish guide at night’.
The developments came amid escalating tensions between India and Turkey and growing calls for a boycott of the other country. Social media users however had no sympathy for Khan despite the recent geo-political developments — with many insisting that police action was ‘well deserved’.
“Deserved to say the least. Anyone going abroad represents his or her country. Disrespecting others should be punishable,” said one individual.
“I hope he remains behind bars in Turkiye. This is unacceptable to go as a tourist and then abuse the locals,” wrote another Indian X user.