Initial probe finds Instagram accounts of Priyanka's children weren't hacked: Report
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Photo: Twitter (@priyankagandhi)
New Delhi: The initial probe into the allegations raised by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra that her children's Instagram accounts were hacked has revealed that there was no compromise, sources in the Union ministry of electronics and information technology said.
"The Instagram accounts of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's children have not been hacked," official sources told ANI on Wednesday.
The initial investigation was conducted by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team CERT-In hours after the Congress leader made the claim.
In light of the recent raids by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax departments in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had alleged that the government has hacked the Instagram accounts of her children -- 18-year-old Miraya Vadra and 20-year-old Raihan Vadra.
"They are even hacking my children's Instagram accounts, let alone phone tapping. Do they not have any other work?" she had said in response to a question on Central agencies' raids on political opponents and allegations of illegal phone surveillance.
Ms Gandhi Vadra has not filed a formal complaint. But sources said the government took note of the matter and decided to conduct an investigation on its own.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had handed the matter to the CERT-In, which runs an advanced lab that can trace hackers and prevent cyberattacks.
The Congress leader made the allegation two days after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accused Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath of getting his telephones tapped and listening to the recordings of his conversations every evening.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's brother and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been revealed to be on the alleged list of potential targets on a leaked database of Pegasus, the spyware from Israeli company NSO.
Several other opposition leaders, two union ministers, businessman Anil Ambani, a former CBI chief, a virologist and 40 journalists were also said to be on the alleged list. It is not established, however, that all the phones were hacked.
"I am not a 'potential target'. My phone is tapped, it is clearly tapped. Not only this phone, all my phones are tapped," Rahul Gandhi had told reporters soon after.
