Indore: Aunkareshwar Thakur arrested for creating notorious Sulli deals app

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL/INDORE/DELHI: Finally, the police have made a crucial arrest in connection with the notorious Sulli deals app that was created to defame Muslim women.

Aunkareshwar Thakur*, 25, who hails from Indore, has been caught. A team of Delhi police arrived, picked him up and took him to Delhi. 

Police have said that he is the mastermind and was member of the right-wing Trad group on Twitter that targeted Muslim women, obtaining their photographs without permission and then putting up for 'auctioning' them.

It has been found that Thakur told police that he created Sulli deals app in July 2021 on Github. The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Special Cell caught him after questioning Niraj Bishnoi, who was arrested for creating Bulli Bai app.

The apps were created to targeted prominent Muslim women who are active in public space and are vocal. Trads are a group among that is known for creating highly inflammatory content that aims at not just spreading hate and harassment but also dehumanizes the victims.

Last year, the Delhi police had arrested a case after the Sulli deals app and the online 'auctioning' was known. However, recently, the Bulli Bai app was created on similar lines. The Mumbai police started action and soon arrestes began. Two initial persons who were caught included Vishal Kumar Jha, 21, whose family belongs to Bihar, and Shweta Singh, 19, from Uttarakhand. 

The, third person, Mayank Rawal, hailing from Uttarkhand was also arrested. After these arrests, the Delhi police also swung into action. On the basis of interrogation, Niraj Bishnoi who created Bulli Bai app was arrested from Jorhat (Assam). He was studying in an engineering college near Bhopal.

The device used to create the app has also been recovered from him. Subsequently, the connections of the suspects surfaced and the name of Aumkareshwar Thakur alias Omkareshwar came out in connection with the last year's Sulli deals app. The police found that before Bulli Bai, the Sulli deals was created and Aunkareshwar Thakur was the main accused.

The police team from Delhi reached Indore to catch him. He holds the degree of Bachelor in Computer Applications. Aunkareshwar's laptop and cell phone would be forensically anlayzed and examined. He is being interrogated. Aunkareshwar's father said that he was unaware and feels that his son is being framed.

However, the police said that he has been involved with the creation of the app, developing the code and the virtual auctioning to defame the women. UPDATE: The fifth arrest was made from Odisha. Neeraj Singh, who hails from Jharsuguda district, was arrested by Mumbai police. He is an MBA student and involved in both cases, said police sources.