Mumbai: Journalist Rana Ayyub Alleges Doxxing & Harassment By Unknown Person After Her Number Is Made Public On X, Files Cybercrime Complaint

Mumbai: Journalist Rana Ayyub has filed a complaint with the Mumbai cybercrime cell, alleging harassment by an unknown person, who made her contact number public. She posted on X, “I have filed a written complaint at the cybercrime headquarters in BKC. The phone calls and harassment have not stopped. Hope the Mumbai police act on the complaint and walk the talk on women’s safety. Arrest the culprits.”

Tweet Of Journalist Rana Ayyub

In the post, she tagged Mumbai police, Commissioner of Mumbai Police, and the National Commissioner for Women’s official accounts. In another post, she said, “I have lived a nightmare. At around lam tonight, this right-wing handle posted my number on X, and asked his followers to text me. My phone did not stop ringing through the night. Video calls, obscene WhatsApp messages... this was targeted harassment.”

She added, “I have an archived link to the tweet where people are posting their screenshots of their text messages to this guy. I woke up at lam and could not sleep at night. It has been a traumatic night for me and my family. This is doxxing, threatening in public.” In this post, she tagged ‘Support (Here to Help)’ account.

Who Is Rana Ayyub?

Rana Ayyub is an investigative journalist who has won several awards, including the International Press Freedom Award, conferred by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) in October 2023. In 2022, the Enforcement Directorate initiated a money laundering investigation based on an FIR registered on September 7, 2021, by the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad.

The FIR cited various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology (Amendment) Act, and Black Money Act, alleging that Ayyub illegally raised funds from the public under the guise of charity by launching fundraising campaigns on the online crowdfunding platform Ketto.