‘Bulli Bai’ App Case: Mumbai Police Cyber Cell Detains 21-Yr-Old Engineering Student From Bengaluru

‘Bulli Bai’ App Case: Hundreds of Muslim women were listed for “auction” on the dodgy app with photographs sourced without permission and doctored. 

New Delhi: Mumbai Police Cyber Cell on Monday detained a 21-year-old engineering student from Bengaluru in connection with the ‘Bulli Bai’ app case, news agency ANI reported.

This development comes amid social media outrage over targetting of Muslim women by this app. Leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned the cyber harassment of women belonging to the minority community and called for strict action against the guilty. 

Mumbai Police Cyber Cell on Monday detained a 21-year-old engineering student from Bengaluru in connection with the case.

According to ANI, Mumbai Police have not revealed the identity of the suspect detained from Bengaluru yet, except for his age. Police have registered a case against unknown culprits under relevant sections of IPC and the IT Act.

Mumbai Police had also filed a first information report (FIR) on Monday against unknown persons based on complaints that doctored photographs of women were uploaded for auction on ‘Bulli Bai’ application hosted by GitHub platform.

Meanwhile, soon after the update on the detainment of suspect, Maharashtra Minister Satej D Patil said that Mumbai Police has got a “breakthrough” in the app case. “Can’t disclose details as it may hamper probe,” he wrote on Twitter.

Delhi Police Seek Info From Twitter, GitHub

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police sought details from the GitHub platform about the developer of the ‘Bulli Bai’ mobile application and asked Twitter to block and remove related “offensive contents” on its platform.

The police also sought from Twitter information about the account handler who first tweeted about the app.

“As part of the probe into the matter, we have written to Twitter seeking information about the account handle who had first tweeted about the ‘Bulli Bai’ app,” news agency PTI quoted a senior Delhi Police officer as saying. 

“This is to know how the person concerned came across the alleged application which had offensive contents being written about women of a particular community,” the officer added.

“We have also asked Twitter to remove and block any such offensive contents from its platform immediately which are shared through the alleged app and are related to the entire controversy,” he said.

Delhi Minorities Commission has also termed the matter “serious” and issued a notice to city police chief Rakesh Asthana seeking an action-taken report on January 10. The interests of Muslim women need to be safeguarded by nabbing the culprits, it stated.

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

‘Bulli Bai’ App Row

Hundreds of Muslim women were listed for “auction” on the dodgy app with photographs sourced without permission and doctored, PTI reported. 

As per PTI, the ‘Bulli Bai’ app features images of Muslim women with a strong presence on Twitter. These female social media users, including journalists, have been singled out based on their strong presence with their photos uploaded on the app.

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday condemned the harassment of Muslim women and alleged that it was the result of the repeated “dehumanisation of minorities by the BJP”.

"Strongly condemn this disgusting harassment of Muslim women. This is the result of repeated dehumanisation of minorities by the BJP leadership. Why were previous instances of similar harassment ignored? I hope this time, the strongest action against the guilty will be taken,” Kharge wrote on Twitter.

BJP leader and Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said any “cyber criminal communal conspiracy” against the country’s composite culture will not succeed.

Interacting with the media, Naqvi, who is the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, mentioned that the government has been acting in the matter and said such targeting of women is unacceptable.

Stern action is being taken against such criminals and their “communal conspiracy” will be exposed soon, he said, as reported by PTI.

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi had on Saturday flagged the ‘Bulli Bai’ app to Mumbai police as well as Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking strict action against the creators.

In response to Priyanka Chaturvedi’s tweet, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that GitHub, the hosting platform, has confirmed blocking the user and that CERT and police authorities are coordinating further action.

“Government of India is working with police organisations in Delhi and Mumbai on this matter,” he wrote in another tweet.

This is the second such case in less than a year as the app appears to be a clone of ‘Sulli Deals’ which triggered a controversy in 2021.

In July last year, a case was registered by the Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police after it received a similar complaint about an unidentified group uploading photos of Muslim women on the ‘Sulli Deals’ mobile application.

As per PTI, police officials said an investigation is underway in that matter as well, but refused to elaborate.

(With Inputs From Agencies)