The curious case of Telugu YouTuber Bayya Sunny Yadav who interacted with Zakir Naik in Pakistan

A controversial moto vlogger with 4.7 million followers on YouTube has been detained for his past travel history with Pakistan. Hailing from Nalgonda region of Telangana, Bayya Sunny Yadav has been biking across the world for the last few years and uploading the footage on YouTube and other social media platforms amassing a large number of followers. 

 

Sunny had in the past landed in a soup after promoting betting apps resulting in cases being filed against him. Of late, trouble seems to be brewing for him again after his last three videos showed him travelling to Pakistan. Though the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not formally disclosed his arrest, major news outlets have reported that Sunny was picked up from his friends house in Chennai by a team of the central agency. 

 

Sunny is reportedly being questioned about his links to people in Pakistan. This episode comes in the backdrop of YouTuber Jyothi Malhotra’s arrest for allegedly being in contact with Pakistani officials and passing on critical information. She had also allegedly travelled to Pakistan multiple times. 

 

In the case of Sunny, is controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik responsible for his situation? In October 2024, a YouTube channel affiliated to Zakir Naik uploaded a video which showed Sunny introducing himself and posing religious questions to Zakir Naik who was on stage. During that period, Zakir Naik was on a one-month tour to Pakistan visiting multiple cities. It maybe recalled that Zakir Naik fled India in 2016 after he faced multiple charges including abetting terror and money laundering. As his outfits faced ban in India, he took refuge in Malaysia. 

 

Sunny had visited Pakistan in 2022 as per his YouTube video playlist. However, neither his YouTube channel nor his Instagram profile show him visiting the neighbouring country in 2024. All his Pakistan travel videos are being uploaded now in the last three weeks. It is unclear whether Sunny travelled in 2024 to Pakistan as a separate trip or is uploading last year’s content now. Whatever is the case, his interaction with Zakir Naik might have interested the NIA as the Islamic preacher figures in the list of the agency’s most wanted men.

 

The question is how Sunny Yadav landed up at the event of Zakir Naik. Was it a paid act? Was he a follower of Zakir Naik? Was he invited by the organisers because of his fame? His family member are clueless about where their son is and under whose custody. They have not been formally informed by any government agency about his detention or arrest.

India