The project’s aim is to generate funds for Harmony House, an orphanage located in India's Gurgaon
The apps were able to track the surveilled person's location, collect their contacts, SMS and call history.
Mobile threat researchers at anti-virus company Avast detected the apps on Google Play Store that were all likely designed by a Russian developer.
Avast reported these apps to Google which then removed them from the Play Store.
The apps have been installed a combined 130,000 times, with the most-installed apps being Spy Tracker, and SMS Tracker, both with more than 50,000 installs.
"These apps are highly unethical and problematic for people's privacy and shouldn't be on the Google Play Store," Nikolaos Chrysaidos, Avast's head of mobile threat intelligence and security, said in a statement on Wednesday.
"They promote criminal behaviour, and can be abused by employers, stalkers or abusive partners to spy on their victims. We classify such apps as stalkerware," he added.
It's hard to tell if your device has stalkerware installed on it as you will not see an app icon on your smartphone.
The apps require the person to have access to the phone they want to spy on. The person can download the apps from the Google Play Store and install them on the target device.
The app then prompts the person who installed the app to enter their email address and password. The spying app is sent there.
"Upon setup, there is no app icon, so the targeted person does not see any sign of the stalkerware app installed on their phone," said Avast.
For example, the description of "Spy Tracker" app on Google Play read: "Find out more about your child's life, interests, friends and plans. Parents are responsible for every step that their kids make. So this app is created to monitor them and protect them from dangers that can be revealed via cell phone."
According to SMS Tracker, "our app will help you monitor work time of your employees to save time and save money. Notify the users of work phones that you are going to install the app. It will teach your employees to use their time at work wisely, to reduce time spent on messengers and arrive to work in time".
In April, Russian cyber security company Kaspersky Lab said it would start flagging stalkerware as malicious. In 2018, it detected stalkerware on 58,487 mobile devices.
The project’s aim is to generate funds for Harmony House, an orphanage located in India's Gurgaon
Earlier, the Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management confirmed the reopening of all roads in the emirate
His case was considered a milestone for #MeToo, in which women accused hundreds in entertainment, media, politics and other fields of sexual misconduct
Well-known communication expert Maha Abouelenein on what it takes to thrive in the age of social media
From cultural events, and culinary delights to outdoor adventures, here's a line-up of thrilling activities to make your weekend exciting
'The rom-com garnered $219 million worldwide after its premiere in December
The guitar will be auctioned on May 29 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York
Fitness enthusiast Sarah Lindsay shares insights on what it takes to embark on a fitness journey and sustain it amidst a busy lifestyle