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On Saturday, The Prime Minister’s Office tweeted that PM Narendra Modi’s Twitter account was “very briefly” compromised. After the matter was escalated to Twitter, the account was “immediately secured”.

“The Twitter handle of PM @narendramodi was very briefly compromised. The matter was escalated to Twitter and the account has been immediately secured. In the brief period that the account was compromised, any Tweet shared must be ignored.”

Several media publications reported that in the brief time the account was compromised, a tweet was sent from it, which claimed that India has officially adopted Bitcoin as the legal tender. It stated that India has brought this currency that will be distributed to the citizens.

“India has officially adopted bitcoin as legal tender. The government has officially bought 500 BTC and is distributing them to all residents of the country,” read the tweet, which has been deleted once the account was secured and restored.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated in November that the government currently has no proposal to recognise Bitcoin as a viable currency in the country.

This is not the first time that PM Modi’s Twitter account was compromised. In September 2020, the Twitter account, which is linked to the PM’s personal website and app, was hacked and tweets seeking donations to the PM’s COVID-19 relief fund through cryptocurrency were tweeted.

In its official statement, social media giant Twitter said that it has now taken all the necessary steps to secure the Prime Minister’s Twitter account.

It added that the account was compromised “very briefly”, and said that the account wasn’t compromised due to any breach by the Twitter systems.

At present, the central government is looking to introduce a bill regulating cryptocurrencies. It has also expressed its concerns that Bitcoin could be used to lure different investors with false claims and even fund illegal and terror activities.