India, July 4 -- B efore authorities directed the removal of BAT-BMS from app stores and the 'Tirri Prank' became national news, it was little more than a little-known trick circulating among a handful of users. The phenomenon burst into the mainstream after Delhi-based content creators began documenting how the Bluetooth-enabled app could remotely stall e-rickshaws, triggering a flood of viral Reels and copycat videos. Among the first to bring the trend to wider attention was creator Yash Bharadwaj. "I was told by a friend that a new app could instantly strand an e-rickshaw via Bluetooth. It sounded impossible, so I went out to test it and filmed it actually working," says Bharadwaj. The experiment quickly snowballed beyond his expectations. He adds, "Overnight, the video went viral with 7M views, and suddenly everyone started creating content on it." As the trend gained traction, more creators began exploring the phenomenon. Among them was vlogger Karan Labana, whose own video on the loophole garnered close to 6 million views. "After I saw the viral video, I also went out and made one that showed how one driver had a password in the battery management system of their e-rickshaw, which did not allow me to stall it," says Labana. However, witnessing the real-world impact of the prank soon changed his perspective. "I saw how distressed drivers were getting when I successfully stalled some rickshaws. I realised it wasn't funny and felt a duty to help," he says. Digging deeper into the app, Labana discovered that password-protecting the battery management system could prevent unauthorised Bluetooth access: "I figured out how to set up that password because the app couldn't stall any rickshaw that had one. Once I got it, I started informing stranded, confused drivers and helping them set it up. Now, I'll be posting videos of that hack to help out."...