After Ed Sheeran, German influencer Younes Zarou who has 21 million followers detained in Bengaluru; over announced Church Street meetup

BENGALURU: German influencer Younes Zarou, who has over 21 million followers on Instagram, was briefly detained by police in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening after a large crowd gathered around him during an unannounced visit to Church Street.Zarou had posted earlier in the day, “Church Street, we are coming,” which drew hundreds of fans to the busy stretch.Police were alerted to the gathering and arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd, citing public safety concerns.

Officers said that Zarou had not obtained prior permission for the visit, which they deemed necessary due to the size of the gathering.

Authorities pointed to the deadly stampede during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebrations earlier this year — which claimed 11 lives — as a reminder of the potential dangers of unregulated crowds.Zarou was taken in a police vehicle and later dropped off at another location after he assured officials he would not return to Church Street without proper permissions.The incident follows a similar episode earlier this year when British singer Ed Sheeran was reportedly stopped from performing impromptu on Church Street due to the lack of official clearance.