Comedian Samay Raina was felicitated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at a cyber-awareness event in Mumbai on Wednesday. The event was held to launch Digital Arrest, a short film on cyber fraud, and the 1930 Maharashtra Cyber Anthem.
Raina was joined by actors Ashish Vidyarthi, Pankaj Tripathi, Sharad Kelkar, Sonali Bendre, Javed Jaffrey and Mangesh Desai, along with singer Sunidhi Chauhan, who were also part of the campaign.
Samay's Cyber Cell Connection
While accepting the honour, Raina joked about his old association with Maharashtra Cyber. “My association with Maha Cyber has been going on for a very long time,” he said while thanking Fadnavis for the honour.
He also called 1930, Maharashtra's cybercrime helpline, “a really great number” and joked that he had saved it because he often got calls from the department. Raina added that Maharashtra Cyber was very active and joked that, “Whether you are there or whether you are in India, they will catch you.”
He also joked that this was perhaps the first time a Cyber Cell officer had gone to a comedian's home and picked him up, only to felicitate him afterwards.
The video drew warm reactions online, with Raina's friend Balraj Ghai calling it a “full circle” moment and others praising the unexpected collaboration. Some users also jokingly wondered if the clip was AI-generated.
Raina's Past Controversy
His remarks appeared to refer to the India's Got Latent controversy last year, when Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia and others associated with the show faced legal action following allegations related to obscene and sexually explicit content.
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Raina was in the US when Maharashtra Cyber initially summoned him and reportedly asked to record his statement through video conferencing. However, he was asked to appear before officials in person and was issued multiple summons.
He later appeared before Maharashtra Cyber in Mumbai, expressed regret over the controversy and said the incident had affected his mental health. He also removed all Season 1 videos of India's Got Latent from YouTube.
Fadnavis Warns Against Cyber Scams
At the event, Fadnavis also warned people about 'digital arrest' scams, where fraudsters pose as police officers, government officials or judges to scare victims and take money from them. He urged people to stay alert and immediately call 1930 in case of cyber fraud.
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