'Bulli Bai' creator nabbed from Assam; 4th arrest in case
The main conspirator in the Bulli Bai case was arrested by the Delhi Police on Thursday from Assam's Jorhat district. The accused Neeraj Bishnoi was the "creator of 'Bulli Bai' on GitHub and the main Twitter account holder of the app," said KPS Malhotra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit. This is the fourth arrest in the case.
Why does it matter?
Photographs of over 100 Muslim women, including notable actors, journalists, activists, and politicians, were placed on an app named "Bulli Bai" for auction. The matter came to light on January 1 as several Muslim women found themselves on "auction" on the app. Last July, a similar application named "Sulli deals" on GitHub had displayed photographs of more than 80 Muslim women for "sale."
Who is Neeraj Bishnoi?
Bishnoi is a second-year engineering student at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Bhopal, reports stated citing officials. He was reportedly arrested from his hometown in Assam's Jorhat. The police have reportedly recovered a device from his home on which the app was created. He will be brought to Delhi this afternoon, sources told NDTV.
Mumbai Police made 3 arrests earlier
Earlier, the Mumbai Police had arrested three accused in connection with the case: two from Uttarakhand and one from Bengaluru. These include the prime suspect 18-year-old Shweta Singh and co-accused students Mayank Rawal (21) and Vishal Kumar Jha (21). The arrests came after both the Mumbai Police and the Delhi Police had registered FIRs in the case.
App targeted women vocal on sociopolitical issues
The matter sparked outrage after some Muslim women found themselves listed for "auction" on the app with doctored photos. Most of the targeted women were notably vocal on sociopolitical issues. Several Opposition leaders, including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, had urged the government to take action against those behind the app.
