Identity of Twitter User Who Got Alt News' Mohammed Zubair Arrested Revealed

The Twitter user's post tagging the Delhi Police led to Zubair's arrest over a 2018 tweet.

Mohammed Zubair.

(Photo: The Quint) 

Weeks after Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the cases against him, the identity of the Twitter user whose post led to a case against Zubair, and his subsequent arrest, has finally come to the fore.

The Twitter user who tagged the Delhi Police in June, claiming that his religious sentiments were hurt, is a 36-year-old real estate businessman who lives in Delhi’s Dwarka and hails from Ajmer in Rajasthan, The Indian Express reported.

The Twitter user had posted against Zubair under the handle @balajikijaiin and the name "Hanuman Bhakt."

He was traced via his IP address and has recorded his statement before the police.

'Twitter User Not Affiliated to Any Political Party': Police

"He came to IFSO’s office in Dwarka and told the police that his religious sentiments were hurt after he saw the tweet," The Indian Express reported a source as saying, adding that he did not seem to be affiliated to any political party.

The handle currently says that the account has been suspended, with a line from the social media company that reads that it "suspends accounts that violate the Twitter Rules."

In June, the Twitter user tagged the Delhi Police and urged them to take action against Zubair for a tweet he had posted four years ago.

Taking cognisance of the matter, the police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit filed a case against the fact-checker on 27 June.

During Zubair's trial, his lawyer Vrinda Grover had argued that the Twitter handle that had led to his arrest was anonymous and had been created to "create mischief."

She also called for a police probe into who was behind the handle.

Subsequently, a notice was sent to Twitter India on 29 June, in which the police informed the social media platform regarding the case.

Zubair was granted bail by the Supreme Court on 20 July. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe six cases against him filed across the state, was also disbanded.

(With inputs from The Indian Express.)