An engineering student has been arrested in connection with the Bulli Bai case, in which Muslim women who spoke out about political and social issues were put up for auction on the internet. The police have detained a woman from Uttarakhand who is suspected of being the primary accused in the case.
The accused is a lady who knew the 21-year-old engineering student who was arrested in Mumbai during the day after a 10-hour interrogation.
Vishal Jha another connected in the case was apprehended in Bengaluru by Mumbai Police. He was apprehended and transported to Mumbai yesterday, where he is currently being interrogated.
However, the woman suspected of being the mastermind is now being investigated. The other apprehended youth is a co-accused in the case and was in contact with the woman, according to police.
The issue was brought to light on January 1 when several Muslim women were put up for ‘auction’ on the disgusting app. Their images, many of which had been doctored, have been featured in the GitHub app.
Last weekend, images of more than 100 notable Muslim women, including journalists, activists, film stars, and artists, were leaked on the platform without their permission, causing a massive outrage. The website had listed the women for “auction” in what appeared to be a clone of the banned app ‘Sulli Deals’ which had triggered a similar row last year.
Under pertinent parts of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, a case has been filed against unidentified perpetrators.
The GitHub user who created the software was blocked, and “additional action” was being planned, according to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The Mumbai Police Department has filed a report, the Delhi Police Department is investigating, and the Delhi Commission for Women has issued a warning to officers.
Meanwhile, investigations were launched in at least three states and police filed criminal complaints against developers of the website, based on the complaints of the targeted women.
