Bulli Bai probe led Delhi cops to original hate app

Over the past six months, the Delhi Police has faced difficulties in the Sulli Deals app case. The app gained controversy on social media and the San Francisco-based firm, GitHub, refused to cooperate and provide information. Adding to the challenge, a similar app called Bulli Bai emerged on the same platform.

However, progress was made in the investigation of the Bulli Bai case, which gave new leads in the Sulli Deals case. This led the police to the alleged developer, Aumkareshwar Thakur.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), KPS Malhotra, stated that Thakur had taken various measures to cover his tracks. As a web developer, he used multiple virtual identities online. Nevertheless, with the help of information provided by Neeraj Bishnoi, who was arrested in the Bulli Bai case, and technical investigation involving Deep Data Analysis and Archival Data Access, the police managed to trace Thakur’s digital footprints and apprehend him.

The connection between Bishnoi and Thakur was a Twitter group called “TradMahasabha.” Thakur joined the group in January of the previous year under the identity @gangescion. During discussions in the group, members allegedly engaged in trolling Muslim women. Thakur then created Sulli Deals on GitHub using the ID @cryptoboiom.

After the app caused a significant uproar and led to the filing of a First Information Report (FIR), Thakur allegedly erased his social media presence, making him elusive for several months.

During Bishnoi’s interrogation, the police discovered that he interacted with various virtual identities on social media and participated in group discussions. “In July of the previous year, a member of the Twitter group shared details about the Sulli Deals app. That was the first time Bishnoi or other group members heard about Sulli Deals on GitHub,” explained an officer. Bishnoi also revealed to the police that the developer claimed to be from Indore.

“We extensively analyzed similar social media accounts. Thakur took great care in deleting his online trails. Data analytics yielded no information about him on any social media platform,” said a senior officer. The police then utilized social media engineering and reverse tracking of social media platform archives. Through extensive searches, they discovered a deleted profile that seemed relevant to their case.

Although the profile had a fake picture, the police delved into a group picture and found a deleted Twitter handle. This led them to an IP address and a general location in Indore, where a raid was conducted.

“We conducted thorough verification on the ground in Indore to pinpoint the suspect’s precise location. The location was identified through human intelligence and reverse tracking, but it was revealed that he used to work there around two years ago,” revealed a source.

Nevertheless, this led the police to establish the suspect’s real identity and gather more information about his current whereabouts. On January 8, Thakur was taken in for questioning. A team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Raman Lamba, is currently searching for other members of the Twitter group.