A 27-year-old YouTuber in Jharkhand's Garhwa district set fire to his home studio on Saturday night. While the police and neighbours managed to rescue his family, equipment and property worth over Rs 10 lakh were destroyed.
Vidhayak Prajapati operated a film editing and digital work studio from his residence. Neighbours say Prajapati had sold ancestral land to build the modern studio, pinning his hopes on achieving YouTube stardom. However, after months of failing to gain a following, he reportedly fell into severe depression.
According to Prakash Kumar Arun, a neighbour and former village head, Prajapati had become reclusive over the past week. Around 10:00 PM on Saturday, he locked himself inside the studio and set it ablaze.
As smoke filled the house, Prajapati's family found themselves trapped behind an iron door locked from the inside. Hearing their screams, neighbours alerted the Meral police. A team of officers eventually broke through a side wall to enter the house and pull the family to safety.
While the family survived, the blaze destroyed expensive computers, cameras, sound systems, and lighting equipment.
"He was a hardworking young man, but he was mentally broken by the pressure to succeed," said Prakash Kumar. The family, now facing a dire financial crisis, has appealed to the local administration for assistance.
During the rescue, Prajapati reportedly jumped over a back wall and fled the scene. Relatives found him on Sunday morning and have since taken him to Ranchi for psychiatric treatment.
