German social media influencer with 20 million followers escorted to safety after fan frenzy on Church Street

Bengaluru: German social media influencer Younes Zarou, who has over 20 million followers on Instagram, was rescued by the police from a massive crowd on Church Street on Wednesday evening.

In an earlier Instagram post, Zarou had announced his visit to Church Street. The police intervened due to public safety concerns and the lack of permission for the gathering.

After the incident, Zarou posted on Instagram, saying "I'm fine." "Bengaluru is not for beginners." 

In one of his recent posts, he had announced a similar visit to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and reportedly surprised a fan who followed him on Instagram by buying him an Apple iPhone 16 Pro, Sony PS5, and an Apple MacBook Pro laptop. Such actions have made him popular on the social media platform, luring thousands who anticipate receiving gifts.

Akshay M Hakay, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division), Bengaluru, told DH that chances of an untoward incident are high in such gatherings as people tend to be excited.

“Such gatherings on a narrow street without adequate measures can be problematic and risky in crowd management. We cannot allow things to spiral out of control. Therefore, there's a need to monitor such social media accounts. We have also advised him and, through him, requested all other influencers to be cautious about their online activities. Virtual space activities have far-reaching implications, and such posts can have a significant impact on fans. Such situations can be difficult to handle." 

Akshay said that Zarou had to be literally rescued from the crowd. "A huge crowd flocked him and began swelling. He was swiftly taken to a safe distance and advised not to engage in such activities and was permitted to leave."

Akshay said that Zarou mentioned in his post that he would be on Church Street and fans had gathered in anticipation. 

The police are also considering setting up a system to monitor and regulate social media influencers' activities to prevent similar incidents and ensure public safety, Akshay added.

Last year's episode

Last year, a similar incident involving Younes Zarou saw a massive crowd gather on Church Street, prompting police intervention.

Then, Zarou shared videos on his Instagram and YouTube accounts, documenting the event. In one video, he gave away brand new Apple iPhones to fans who confirmed they were his subscribers.