Vishal Kumar, who bullied women by creating Bulli Bai app, remanded by Mumbai court

The 21-year-old engineering student from Bengaluru, arrested by Mumbai Police in the Bulli Bai app case and now identified as Vishal Kumar has been remanded to police custody of 10 days, by a Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Mumbai.

The Bulli Bai app had posted photographs of over 100 Muslim women, from different walks of life, and ‘offered’ them in online action. On knowing about the app over the last weekend, some cases were filed with Mumbai Police and its Cyber Cell, on January 1, 2022. Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Priyanaka Chaturvedi had also contacted Mumbai Police, Maharashtra Director General of Police and Mumbai Cyber Cell seeking a probe in the matter.

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against relevant Twitter handles and developer of Bulli Bai for offences under Sections 153A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion etc), 153B (imputations prejudicial to national-integration), 295A (insulting religious beliefs), 354D (stalking), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 500 (criminal defamation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of Information Technology Act.

Acting immediately on the case, the Mumbai Cybercrime Cell traced the app to Vishal Kumar in Bengaluru. After questioning him on January 3, he was placed under arrest today and produced before the Magistrate seeking remand.

The police told the court that there are more accused in the case and in order to keep the confidentiality of the case, the probe should be conducted in-camera, to which the court agreed.

The police plea to grant permission to search Kumar’s premises and documents was also accepted by the court.