'Bulli Bai' App Case: Main Accused Detained From Uttarakhand; Student Remanded In Mumbai Police Custody

Police said both the accused know each other and were running the fake accounts on the 'Bulli Bai' app.

Representative Photo | Getty Images

New Delhi: Mumbai Police has detained a woman, believed to be the main accused in the 'Bulli Bai' app case, from Uttarakhand and also arrested an engineering student from Bengaluru in the case. The student has been identified as one Vishal Kumar.

Later, a local court remanded Vishal Kumar in Mumbai Police's custody till January 10. Police said both the accused know each other and were running the fake accounts on the 'Bulli Bai' app.

"The main accused woman was handling three accounts related to the 'Bulli Bai' app. Co-accused Vishal Kumar opened an account by the name Khalsa supremacist. On Dec 31, he changed the names of other accounts to resemble Sikh names. Fake Khalsa account holders were shown," Mumbai Police further said.

The police have arrested Vishal Kumar after questioning him for over 10 hours.

Police had filed a first information report against unknown persons following complaints that photographs of Muslim women were uploaded for auction' on the app hosted by the GitHub platform on Sunday. 

The suspect was detained on Monday and Mumbai cyber police station had also registered a case against the app developers and Twitter handles that promoted the app.

Hundreds of Muslim women were listed for the auction' on the 'Bulli Bai' app with photographs sourced without permission and doctored. It has happened for the second time in less than a year. The app appeared to be a clone of Sulli Deals which triggered a similar row last year.

Leaders from across the political spectrum condemned the cyber harassment of women belonging to the minority community and called for strict action against the guilty.

Terming the matter "serious", Delhi Minorities Commission issued a notice to city police chief Rakesh Asthana seeking an action-taken report on January 10. It said the interests of Muslim women need to be safeguarded by nabbing the culprits.

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also asked police officials to appear before it later this week.