- BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra’s WhatsApp hacked; fraudsters demand money.
- Patra alerted police, warned public against fraudulent messages.
BJP national spokesperson and MP Sambit Patra on Sunday said his WhatsApp account had been hacked, warning the public not to trust any messages or financial requests sent from his number.
In a post on X, Patra said cybercriminals had gained access to his account and were sending fraudulent messages seeking money from his contacts.
“My WhatsApp number has been hacked. Misleading messages are being sent from my number and money is being demanded through various means. These messages are completely fake and part of a cybercrime. They have no connection with me,” he wrote.
मेरा WhatsApp नंबर हैक हो गया है।
WhatsApp हैक होने के बाद मेरे नंबर से लोगों को भ्रामक संदेश भेजे जा रहे हैं तथा विभिन्न माध्यमों से पैसों की मांग की जा रही है। कृपया ध्यान दें कि इस प्रकार के सभी संदेश पूर्णतः फर्जी एवं साइबर अपराध का हिस्सा हैं। उनका मुझसे कोई संबंध नहीं है।…
— Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) July 5, 2026
Patra said he immediately informed senior officials of the Odisha Police, adding that legal and technical action was underway.
‘Please Do Not Send Money’
He also urged people not to respond to any messages, calls or requests for financial transactions originating from his number until his account is secured and restored.
“Please do not send money in any form. If you receive any suspicious message from my number, do not respond to it,” he said.
Supriya Sule Also Reported About WhatsApp Hack
The incident is similar to one reported last year involving NCP (SP) working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule, whose WhatsApp account was also compromised.
Sule had said she realised her account had been hacked after replying to a message from a known contact. Soon afterwards, the hacker allegedly used her account to send messages to members of her team, demanding $400 to restore access.
She immediately switched off her phone and alerted the Pune Rural Police after confirming that messages were still being sent from her account despite her device being offline.
Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh had said the account was found to be active on another device and was restored within a few hours. He added that only the WhatsApp account had been compromised, while the phone and other applications remained unaffected.
Following the incident, Sule urged people to stay vigilant against such cyber frauds and avoid responding to messages from unknown numbers. Police said they were investigating how the hackers gained access to the account and those responsible.
