Counsel alleges accused in Bulli bai case was slapped

The Delhi police have said that master mind Niraj Bishnoi has confessed that he was using Shweta Singh’s Twitter account and she has nothing to do with the case

A serious allegation of custodial torture has been levelled by accused Shweta Singh, against the an officer of the Mumbai Cyber Cell which is probing the Bulli Bai app case. Singh's counsel told the metropolitan magistrate court in Bandra on Friday, that an officer attached to the Cyber Cell slapped her during custodial interrogation.

Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Komalsingh Rajput has directed Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Dr Rashmi Karandikar to investigate the allegation. Dr Karandikar told mid-day, "I deny all such allegations. All the accused were properly treated and were given N-95 masks as well as hand sanitisers."

An officer attached to Mumbai Cyber Cell told mid-day, "We have been taking all precautions while dealing with the case and following every legal step with utmost sensitivity." The Mumbai cyber cell is likely to submit its report by Monday, said a source.

All accused 'self-radicalised'

The Delhi police who arrested two key accused including Niraj Bishnoi and Bulli Bai app creator Aumkareshwar Thakur, have denied any financial aspect behind the accuseds' act. They told media persons that all the accused are ‘self-radicalised' as they were consuming a lot of hateful content on social media, especially as members of a TRAD group on Twitter called ‘TreadMahasabha,' where hatred against a particular community was discussed every day since January 2021.

Mumbai police said they have evidence based on technical analysis that Singh was using her account and was in touch with co-accused on social media

On Friday, the Mumbai police requested court for extension in the custody of the accused as they are yet to investigate any financial aspect in the Bulli Bai app case. They suspect someone has funded these youngsters to launch this app to defame prominent Muslim women. The Cyber Cell had retrieved their bank details.

The additional public prosecutor informed court that accused Mayank Rawat has tested positive for Covid-19. Rawat has been admitted to a BMC-run facility in Kalina. Like the first accused Vishal Kumar Jha, Rawat is in judicial remand under medical observation.

All the accused have applied for bail and the hearing will take place on Monday, the day the DCP Cyber is also expected to submit her enquiry report into the allegation of custodial torture.

‘Accused is college topper'
Advocate Sandeep Sherkhane, the counsel for Rawat, told mid-day that his client is a college topper. "He had just followed a link which was forwarded to him on social media. He has not created the link nor did he post anything," said Sherkhane.

The Mumbai Cyber Cell has not found any clinching pieces of evidence apart from the accuseds' roles of sharing the links of the controversial app. The Delhi police in their statement had said that the accused arrested by Mumbai police in the Bulli Bai case are just propagators and the mastermind Niraj Bishnoi has confessed that he was using Singh's Twitter account and she has nothing to do with the case.

But Mumbai police said they have found evidence based on technical analysis that Singh was using her account and was in touch with the co-accused on social media.