Patanjali, Kimbho, messenger app, WhatsApp
Patanjali's new messenger Kimbho app will take on WhatsApp in India.Apple App Store (screen-grab)

Baba Ramdev-owned consumer product conglomerate Patanjali launched a WhatsApp-rival Kimbho messenger app in India via Google Play and Apple App store on May 31. But, within a few hours, it was taken down from both the mobile OS platforms.

French security expert Robert Baptiste, who goes by the moniker Elliot Alderson(@fs0c131y) raised doubts on the Kimbho's user privacy security. Alderson, who is credited to have found flaws in Aadhaar ID system, termed the desi app as a 'security disaster'.

Alderson even shared a video showing the flaws in the security of message stored in Kimbho app.

"This @KimbhoApp is a joke, next time before making press statements, hire competent developers... If it is not clear, for the moment don't install this app. #Kimbho #KimbhoApp," Elliot Alderson said on Twitter.

Kimbho app has serious security glitch in its API.Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y)/Twitter

Soon, other local cyber experts too ascertained that the Kimbho was a copy of a lesser known messenger Bolo app. The former's app developers used the name 'Bolo' in the messenger description, in the coding of the app and also in OTP (One Time Password) creation setup.

After security scare, Kimbho will return to Google Play, Apple app store soon, says company__rish__ (@prohack)/Twitter

Another Cybersecurity enthusiast Rish shared a screenshot of the Kimbho app API, which showed security loophole that would help hackers easily steal contacts, open API keys, passwords, dev tokens and more.

This apparently caused an uproar on social media channels with several users panning the Kimbho app creators.

Now, the company spokesperson Tijarawala on Twitter has announced that Kimbho release was a beta app testing and Patanjali engineers are still working on completing the application. Also, he assured users that the fully functional app will be released soon. Tijarawala also thanked citizens for the overwhelming response as Kimbho was installed on more than 1.5 lakh devices within three hours after the launch.

Patanjali's Kimbho will soon return to Google Play and Apple App storetijarawala sk (@tijarawala)/Twitter

Having said that, Patanjali engineers have to recreate entire Kimbho messenger app from scratch. They simply can't blatantly copy paste codes from a different (Bolo) app and brand it as their own or else they risk getting sued for intellectual property theft and end up paying hefty penalties.

Only way Kimbho creators can restore faith in users is when they show their app is compliant with EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) act, which safeguards user data in social media websites and mobile apps. Even Facebook, WhatsApp and Google have updated their user privacy guidelines.

Stay tuned. Follow us @IBTimesIN_Tech on Twitter and on Google News for latest updates on Patanjali Kimbho app.