Bhubaneswar, July 4: Senior Congress leader and Basudevpur MLA Ashok Kumar Das on Saturday alleged that he was targeted in a cyber fraud in which his mobile phone and WhatsApp account were hacked, allowing fraudsters to send fake requests for money to people in his contact list.

Speaking to mediapersons, Das said the incident occurred in the morning while he was performing yoga at his residence. He received a phone call from an unidentified person who claimed to be delivering Assembly-related documents. The caller allegedly said that delivery personnel were unable to locate his address and sent him a link, asking him to click on it so they could trace his exact location.

Believing the request to be genuine, Das clicked on the link. Soon afterwards, several friends and acquaintances contacted him after receiving WhatsApp messages from his number seeking financial assistance. The legislator said he was shocked as he had not sent any such messages.

Realising that his phone had been compromised, Das immediately approached the Cybercrime and Economic Offences Police Station in Bhubaneswar. Cyber experts examined his device and found that his WhatsApp account had been hacked and temporarily taken over by cybercriminals. Officials later helped him regain control of his account.

Das alleged that the malicious link enabled the fraudsters to access his personal data. Recalling that he had earlier faced a cyber fraud involving his bank account, the MLA urged people to remain vigilant and avoid clicking on suspicious links shared by unknown callers.

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