ED files money laundering case in fake TRP scam probed by Mumbai police

New Delhi, Nov 20: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering complaint in the alleged TRP rigging scam that is being investigated by Mumbai police, official sources said on Friday. They said the central probe agency has filed the enforcement case information report (ECIR) that is equivalent to a police FIR.

The ED complaint was filed after studying a Mumbai Police FIR that was registered in October. Officials of the news channels and others named in the police FIR will soon be summoned by the ED for questioning and recording of their statements, they said.

The fake TRP (Television Rating Point) scam came to light when ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers.

Police had alleged that some channels were paying bribes to boost TRP fraudulently so as to increase advertising revenue. It was alleged that some families at whose houses metres were installed for collecting data of viewership were being bribed to tune into a particular channel. TRP is important as advertising revenue of channels depends on it.