Delhi LG gives nod to prosecute key accused in ‘Sulli Deals’ case

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has granted sanction to prosecute the main accused in the ‘Sulli Deals’ case in which Muslim women were “auctioned” online.

IMAGE: Main accused in the ‘Sulli Deals’ case Aumkareshwar Thakur. Photograph: ANI Photo

Aumkareshwar Thakur (26) will be prosecuted under section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which pertains to prosecution for offences against the State and for criminal conspiracy to commit such offence, sources said on Sunday.

The police need the LG’s sanction to prosecute the accused under CrPC 196.

Thakur, who has studied Bachelors in Computer Applications from IPS Academy in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, had allegedly created the Sulli Deals App and Sulli Deals Twitter handle that auctioned Muslim women on social media platforms with the aim of insulting them and the Muslim community.

Hundreds of Muslim women were listed for “auction” on the mobile application with photographs sourced without their permission and doctored.

The police had registered a case on July 7, 2021, and Thakur was arrested in January this year.

“The LG is of the considered view that a prima facie case is made out against the accused, and therefore, the sanction is granted for prosecuting him,” a source said.

After Thakur’s arrest, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO) KPS Malhotra had said that the accused had admitted that he was a member of a group on Twitter and the idea to defame and troll Muslim women was shared there.

“Thakur had developed a code on GitHub. The access of GitHub was with all the members of the group. He had shared the app on his Twitter account. The photos of the Muslim women were uploaded by the group members,” the officer had said.

The investigation has revealed that the accused had joined the group on Twitter by the name of “Tradmahasabha” in January 2020 using the handle @gangescion.

During various group discussions, the members had talked about trolling Muslim women, the police had said.

The police had gathered information on Thakur while interrogating Niraj Bishnoi (21), believed to be the creator and alleged mastermind of the ‘Bulli Bai’ application, which also allegedly auctioned Muslim women.