Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A bizarre case of hacking, the Chinese App Prank, has come to light, which has significantly affected e-rickshaw drivers and their daily earnings across the country and in Madhya Pradesh.
Notably, e-rickshaw drivers in Bhopal and Indore have complained that their vehicles are being remotely switched off by tampering with the Battery Management System (BMS) through a mobile application.
Drivers from different areas said their e-rickshaws suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, leaving both passengers and drivers stranded.
The issue is not only affecting their daily earnings but also causing inconvenience to commuters, who are forced to get down midway.
Bhopal
Narrating his ordeal, an e-rickshaw driver in Bhopal said his vehicle stopped on Wednesday around 1:30 pm on VIP Road while carrying small children as passengers.
He said the e-rickshaw did not restart and he had to push it manually. Later, he claimed he was charged ₹200 to unlock the system.
Ujjain
Regarding the matter, Neel Ganga police station in-charge Tarun Kuril says, "Yesterday, we received information that an auto-rickshaw driver's vehicle had stalled at Loti Tiraha, and a young man charged him Rs 200 under the pretext of fixing it. Upon inquiry, the driver revealed that e-rickshaws in the city are currently being shut down remotely - specifically, their batteries are being disabled via a mobile app."
He added, "The app used for this activity is a pirated one, and we are informing everyone about it. We have also ensured that dealers have all e-rickshaw drivers download a specific authorized app so that, should their vehicle be hacked and shut down, they can restart it themselves."
Several drivers reported similar incidents, saying many e-rickshaws are currently lined up at mechanic shops due to the problem.
According to them, some individuals who understand how the app-based system works are able to switch vehicles on and off, while other drivers are left struggling.
Netizens condemn pranksters
Numerous videos showing people stopping nearby e-rickshaws and drivers manually pushing the vehicles are going viral on social media.
Witnessing e-rickshaw drivers’ plight, netizens have strongly condemned those executing the prank and have demanded action against them.
What is the BAT BMS app?
The BAT BMS app, available on the Google Play Store, is reportedly used for managing battery systems. It is said that when Bluetooth is turned on, the app can detect nearby e-rickshaw BMS units. If the system is not password-protected, some control options may become accessible.
Police are now investigating whether certain e-rickshaw models have security flaws in their battery systems and how such technical misuse may have been carried out.
BAT BMS App removed from Play Store, App Store
Taking immediate action on the matter, centre directed the removal of three battery management apps - BAT-BMS, Lossigy, and Epoch Li-ion - from both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store after reports that they were being misused to remotely disable moving e-rickshaws in Delhi.
S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, confirmed that the apps were taken down after they came to the government’s notice, speaking at the CII Cybersecurity Summit.
