Sameer MD is a Kannada YouTuber from Bengaluru, now known for his investigative content that tackles sensitive social and criminal issues. He operates the channel “Dhootha” (meaning “messenger” in Kannada) and lives in Bengaluru and also maintains a residence in Bellary.
His channel was launched in August 2024. Till date, he has posted 20 videos.
The YouTuber’s claim to fame is the 39-minute video on a 2012 alleged rape and murder of a 17-year-old second PU student, Soujanya, who was studying at the Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College.
The Soujanya case itself had a complex history. Soujanya, a 17-year-old Pre-University student, went missing on 9 October 2012 while returning from college. Her body was found the following day, showing evidence of assault. Initially investigated by local police and later the CID, the case saw multiple suspects before the CBI took over in 2013. After years of investigation, Santhosh Rao, the prime suspect, was acquitted by the CBI special court in June 2023 due to insufficient evidence. The High Court rejected pleas for reinvestigation in 2024. Soujanya’s father, Chandappa Gowda, passed away in January 2024 without seeing justice for his daughter.
Soujanya Murder Case Video
Sometime in February end 2025, Sameer MD, through his YouTube channel Dhootha, posted a video titled “Dharmasthala Soujanya Case” which gained over 18 million views. The video revisited “decades of crimes” in Dharmasthala, focusing on the 2012 rape and murder of Soujanya, the wrongful conviction of Santhosh Rao, and alleged influence in investigations.
On 5 March 2025, Cowl Bazaar police filed an FIR against the video, citing that it hurt religious sentiments. Advocate A. Velan, representing Sameer, argued the FIR was misuse of law and violated free expression.
A writers’ convention scheduled for 9 March 2025 at the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) in Bengaluru was cancelled after the organisers received legal notices. The event was planned to demand justice for Sowjanya, a teenager raped and murdered in 2012, and to protest an FIR against YouTuber Sameer MD for his video on the case. The KSP withdrew permission, stating it only hosts literary events, not controversial or sub-judice matters.
Several YouTubers also tried to push the same lies he was pushing which framed the Dharmadhikari family, but all the videos had to be removed from YouTube.
Sameer didn’t stop there. He continued to peddle more lies through his AI-generated videos to keep targeting the Jain family. His modus operandi is to use AI to create visuals and present details that far exceeded the official complaints and court records.
Dharmasthala Mass Burial Video
This video was published in July 2025. It is a 23-minute video titled “Who Are Serial K!llrs of Dharmasthala?”, which gathered over 7.8 million views as of today. Following this AI-generated video which also had provocative content, FIR was registered under Sections 192 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 240 (false information), and 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief). The Police alleged the video contained AI-generated content with fabricated details beyond the official complaint, revealing protected witness identities. Sameer faced legal notices demanding his appearance before Belthangady police in connection with the video.
This video centers on the allegations made by the masked man who alleges he was forced to secretly bury – Sameer went on to state that “over 1,000 bodies were buried on the orders of his supervisors”, with the complicity of local police paid off by the temple’s management. The video claims most victims were women and underage girls who were raped and murdered, their bodies found in temple lodges.
A specific, graphic allegation is made regarding the disposal of the body of Soujanya, a previous rape and murder case victim, and the mysterious death of a key witness, Ravi Poojari.
He claimed these burials were done with police connivance.
The video is presented not as an allegation but as established fact, using highly emotional and provocative language (e.g., “Shiva Tandava,” “final war”). It directly accuses the temple head, Veerendra Heggade, and his family of being behind a vast criminal conspiracy of murder and cover-up.
Sameer narrates the entire “story” as if he had seen it happen in front of his eyes. Too many unverified claims, too many lies, and a cinematic and concocted story – this is basically what the video is all about. The language is deliberately inflammatory, designed to provoke outrage. He also calls for street protests saying, “You have to come to the streets and protest against this injustice. Everyone should raise their voice and if any scoundrel comes in between and tries to create Hindu-Muslim divide, beat that son of b**** with slippers.”
Ananya Bhat Video
When the Ananya Bhat story surfaced, he came up with an AI-generated video where he recounted the alleged disappearance case, presenting it as another tragic incident linked to Dharmasthala, similar to the Soujanya case. He stated that Ananya, a first-year MBBS student at Manipal Medical College, had visited the Dharmasthala temple with her hostel friends. He claimed that her friends had asked her to wait at the temple while they returned to their hostel to collect clothes, but upon their return, she had vanished without a trace. Sameer stated that the friends immediately informed Ananya’s mother, Sujatha, a single woman working in Kolkata, who then rushed to Dharmasthala. He alleged that despite Sujatha’s efforts, she found no clues about her daughter’s disappearance. When she tried to file a missing complaint at the local police station, he asserted that the police dismissed her concerns and sent her away. He further made the grave accusation that when Sujatha approached a female temple official for help, the official instead had her brutally beaten and locked in a godown, leaving her in a coma for three months. Upon awakening, Sameer claimed, Sujatha lost all hope of ever finding justice for her daughter.
However, these claims have been entirely discredited when Sujatha Bhat herself confessed that she had never had a daughter named Ananya, exposing the narrative as a complete fabrication.
Anticipatory Bail And Arrest Notices (August 2025)
On 20 August 2025, police attempted to arrest Sameer at his Bengaluru residence, but he was missing. He obtained anticipatory bail from a Mangaluru court on 21 August 2025 and was directed to cooperate with the SIT investigation. He appeared before Belthangady police on 24 August 2025 with a legal team, complying with instructions to refrain from making inflammatory statements. But the look on his face seems like he was on a picnic.
Scoundrel MD Sameer must be arrested for his role in amplifying fake propaganda against Dharmasthala 😠
Just see his body language, so cocky and undeterred despite his fakery being busted to smithereens 😠😠pic.twitter.com/CyuhL8ieGO
— Sameer (@BesuraTaansane) August 24, 2025
Earlier, Sameer faced a ₹10 crore defamation suit filed by Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala representatives, alleging deliberate targeting over the unsolved 2008 college student murder case.
He is accused alongside activists Mahesh Shetty Thimarody and Girish Mattannavar in a separate case concerning the assault on three YouTubers and a cameraman at Ujire on 6 August 2025.
Sameer Must Be Treated As Co-Conspirator
Sameer’s videos present imaginary stories with a little bit of truth as if the entire details he talks about are facts – without providing a single piece of corroborating evidence. There are no dates, no official police records referenced, no medical reports about the alleged coma, and no independent verification of any events described.
The language he uses in his videos are deliberately designed to bypass critical thinking and provoke a raw emotional response. Phrases like “you will really cry,” and the repeated focus on a mother’s suffering are used as a substitute for factual storytelling.
He has always been seen to shift the burden of proof and would cite other YouTubers as his sources. He would avoid the responsibility of providing evidence by redirecting the audience to another YouTube video. This creates an echo chamber of unverified claims rather than establishing a foundation of truth.
Now that the entire saga has crumbled like potato chips, will Sameer atleast apologise?
Sameer’s videos are a prime example of how misinformation was weaponized in the broader campaign against Dharmasthala and how he played a central role in tarnishing the sanctity of the institution.
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