Modi’s Twitter account hacked again

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Twitter account was hacked on Sunday with a message declaring his country had adopted bitcoin as legal tender and was distributing the cryptocurrency to citizens.

A swiftly deleted tweet from his main @narendramodi handle said the Indian government had officially bought 500 bitcoin and was "distributing them to all residents of the country", along with a scam link.

His office tweeted that the account was "very briefly compromised" and that Twitter had since restored control. It was the second time one of Modi's Twitter accounts was hacked, after another was taken over last year to send out a tweet urging the public to donate to a fake coronavirus relief fund.

Sunday’s hack ironically comes as India prepares to clamp down on a flourishing cryptocurrency trade with a new law likely to be introduced in parliament this month. Details of the legislation remain unclear but the government has flagged a broad ban on private digital currencies.