Facebook pages of 3-time Nalagarh MLA’s son, Mohali MLA’s son hacked

{Politicians under attack}

In a disturbing new trend, cybercriminals are now targeting social media pages of politicians. These breaches not only threaten individual reputations but also undermine public trust in digital communication.

Unknown individuals hacked the official Facebook pages of two local Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders, including Mohali municipal councillor from ward number 38 Sarabjit Singh, who is also the son of Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh; and former councillor Rajinder Prashad Sharma. The hackers posted objectionable content on their pages.

The cybercriminals also took unauthorised control of Facebook page of Harpreet Singh Saini who is the son of three-time BJP MLA from Nalagarh. They posted obscene videos and pictures on Saini’s official page.

Saini had defied the saffron party to contest as an independent in the July 10 assembly bypoll.

While Sarabjit Singh and Saini lodged complaints on October 30 with Mohali cyber police, Sharma lodged a complaint the next day accusing hackers of trying to tarnish their reputations and affect their political careers.

After receiving a complaint, Mohali cyber police alerted Facebook India officials who have so far had the original ownership and admin rights restored of Sarabjit Singh’s page after probing the matter.

Talking to HT, Sarabjit Singh confirmed that his page was hacked following which he lodged a police complaint.

He was sent a long questionnaire by Facebook officials and after verifying the authenticity of his complaint, the original ownership was restored and the objectionable content was removed.

“It was found that the hackers from Nigeria, as suggested by the IP address, hacked his account. After gaining access to the page, hackers removed Sarabjit Singh as admin of the page and controlled the page themselves. There was no extortion demand or any kind of blackmailing but seemingly someone did it to defame him,” a probe official said.

However, Sharma said he had created the page several years ago and had himself stopped using it long back as a fresh page was in operation. “After my old Facebook page got hacked, I deleted my current page too and informed the police,” he added.

Saini’s complaint, however, has been forwarded to Ropar cyber cell as he had mentioned a Ropar address in his complaint.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Jatinder Chauhan, while raising concerns over the incidents, said people should not use their social media page ownership or admin rights with anyone and, if absolutely necessary, should share details with trustworthy individuals only.

“With increasing cyber frauds, it is very important to opt for two-step verification and to not use page Id or OTPs with anyone. People should immediately inform police in case of any fraud or cyber issue to avoid further damage,” DSP Chauhan added.