NEW DELHI: BJP national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra on Sunday said his WhatsApp account had been hacked and warned people not to trust any messages or requests for money sent from his number. In a post on X, Patra said, “My WhatsApp number has been hacked. After the WhatsApp hack, misleading messages are being sent to people from my number, and demands for money are being made through various means. Please note that all such messages are completely fake and part of a cybercrime. They have no connection to me. As soon as I learned of this incident, I informed senior officials of the Odisha Police. Necessary legal and technical actions are being taken in the matter.“ He added, “My humble request is that until my WhatsApp number is restored to security (recovered), do not trust any messages, calls, or requests related to financial transactions coming from my number. Please do not send any money in any form, and if you receive any suspicious message, refrain from responding to it as well.” A similar incident was reported last year when NCP (SCP) working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule’s WhatsApp account was hacked, with the hacker allegedly demanding $400 to restore access. Sule told TOI that she filed an online complaint with Pune Rural Police, who found that her WhatsApp account was active on another device. The account was restored within a few hours. The MP said she was attending a party event in Daund tehsil when she discovered the breach. “I received a message on WhatsApp from a known number and replied to the message and realised that my WhatsApp account had been hacked into,” she said. According to Sule, after gaining access to her account, the hacker sent a message to one of her team members. “The hacker demanded $400. My team member immediately informed me about this suspicious messaging,” she said. Sule said she became suspicious and immediately switched off her phone. “I requested Jayant Patil, state president of NCP (SCP), who was next to me, to send me a message on my WhatsApp. When he did so, the hacker replied to him while my phone was off. I immediately informed the police about it,” she said. She also revealed that a team member’s WhatsApp account had been hacked and messages were sent to more than 20 contacts from that account. Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh said, “After receiving the complaint from the Baramati MP, we found that her WhatsApp account was active on another device. We restored her account in a few hours. Barring her WhatsApp application, all other applications on her phone and the phone system were intact and not hacked into.” While thanking the police for restoring her account, Sule urged people to remain vigilant. “I am sharing my example to make people aware of this type of hacking modus. I appeal to every cellphone user to be careful while using their devices and operating WhatsApp. I feel that the best way is not to respond to any unknown numbers,” she said. On whether she suspected a larger conspiracy, Sule said, “I do not know who is behind it. The police investigation will hopefully shed some light.” Police said they are investigating how the hackers gained control of the account and who was behind the incident.
