The Delhi Police investigation into the Cockroach party protest which spiralled into large-scale violence in the national capital on 20 July 2026, has taken a significant turn, with investigators now probing whether a coordinated network of foreign bot farms and thousands of fake social media accounts was deployed to manufacture online support, amplify inflammatory content and influence the narrative surrounding the violence, as reported in OpIndia.
According to a News18 report citing Delhi Police sources, investigators suspect that the digital activity witnessed between 20 and 23 July – the same period during which the mob violence unfolded, was far from organic. Police believe that thousands of fake accounts were activated to aggressively circulate provocative posts, reels and videos across multiple social media platforms, artificially boosting their visibility and creating the impression of widespread public backing for the CJP agitation.
#BreakingNews | Delhi Police uncovers major digital campaign linked to the CJP protest violence, revealing thousands of fake social media accounts and a foreign bot network used to amplify inflammatory content@SimranBabbar_05 shares details#DelhiPolice #CJP #StudentsProtest… pic.twitter.com/02ppNitfTK
— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 4, 2026
Investigators are examining whether the online amplification campaign was deliberately orchestrated to fuel tensions on the ground by ensuring controversial content reached a much wider audience than it otherwise would have.
Delhi Police Seeks Digital Trail From X And Meta
As part of the probe, the Delhi Police has approached social media platforms X and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, seeking extensive digital records linked to the suspected fake accounts and alleged foreign bot networks.
According to the report, investigators have sought account ownership details, IP addresses, server logs, login histories and other technical records to trace the operators behind the accounts and determine how the network functioned.
The investigation is focused on identifying who created and controlled the fake accounts, who financed the alleged bot farms, and whether the operation originated within India or from foreign locations. Police are also examining whether the accounts were centrally managed to shape public discourse during the days of violence.
Foreign Angle Under Fresh Scrutiny
The suspected foreign digital operation is not the first international dimension to emerge in the investigation.
Earlier, the Delhi Police had reported identifying 480 social media accounts originating from Pakistan that were allegedly active during the CJP violence and were found to be consistently circulating fake news related to the protests.
The latest probe into alleged foreign bot networks is expected to examine whether these online activities formed part of a larger coordinated digital campaign that accompanied the violence.
Probe Also Uncovered Large Number Of Individuals With Criminal Histories
Alongside the digital investigation, the Delhi Police had earlier carried out an extensive background verification exercise involving people present in and around the protest site.
According to media reports, the police examined the backgrounds of 2,873 individuals and found that 989 of them had criminal antecedents. Those identified reportedly included individuals previously booked in cases involving murder, attempted murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, offences against women, illegal arms offences and narcotics-related crimes.
The verification found that 101 individuals had previously been booked in murder cases, while 62 had records relating to attempted murder. Police records reportedly showed that 42 of those linked to murder cases had been involved in two or more criminal cases, while 12 had criminal histories spanning ten or more cases.
Among those linked to attempt-to-murder cases, 25 reportedly had multiple criminal cases registered against them.
The scrutiny also identified 284 individuals who had previously figured in robbery and dacoity cases. Of these, 155 had been booked in two or more criminal cases, while 31 had criminal histories involving at least ten separate cases.
Police further found that 61 individuals had previously been booked in rape cases, with eight of them facing multiple criminal cases. The verification also identified six individuals with cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and another 25 who had been booked for offences relating to molestation or outraging the modesty of women. According to police records, six of those accused in crimes against women had multiple criminal cases registered against them.
One-Third Of Those Screened Had Criminal Antecedents
According to police officials, the background verification exercise was initiated after large crowds gathered at and around the protest venue, with investigators seeking to understand the profile of those participating in or moving around the protest site.
Officials stated that the exercise formed part of a broader scrutiny using police databases and dossier verification systems maintained by district police units and other law enforcement agencies.
The verification found that 989 out of the 2,873 individuals screened had previous criminal records, meaning that more than one in every three people whose backgrounds were examined had already been booked in criminal cases.
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