KC Venugopal accuses Modi govt of targeting his phone with 'malicious spyware'
New Delhi, Jul 13: Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Saturday accused the Modi government of targeting his phone with a "malicious spyware" and asserted that "we will oppose this blatantly unconstitutional act" and breach of privacy.
Venugopal shared the screenshot of a message purportedly from Apple which said that "you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID".
In a post on X, Venugopal said, "Thank you PM Modi ji for sending your favourite malicious spyware on my phone also! Apple has been kind enough to intimate me about this special present of yours!"
"Let's be clear, the Modi government is acting in a criminal and unconstitutional manner, going after political opponents and invading their privacy in this manner," the Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, said.
The message of the Lok Sabha elections was that the people reject any attack on the Constitution and the "BJP's fascist agenda", he said.
"We will oppose this blatantly unconstitutional act and breach of our privacy tooth and nail," Venugopal said.
The message purportedly from Apple, whose screenshot Venugopal shared, stated that Apple had previously sent him a notification on October 30, 2023 but this was not a repeat notice and was to inform him that another attack against his device had been detected.
"Apple detected that you are being targeted by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying to remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple ID'¦This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do. Although it's never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning ' please take it seriously," the message read.
"These attacks cost millions of dollars and are individually deployed against a very small number of people, but the targeting is ongoing and global. Since 2021, we have sent Apple threat notifications like this one multiple times a year as we detect mercenary spyware attacks," it said.
"Today's notification is being sent to targeted users in 98 countries, and to date we have notified users in over 150 countries in total," it further said.
Thank you PM Modi ji for sending your favourite malicious spyware on my phone also!
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 13, 2024
Apple has been kind enough to intimate me about this special present of yours!
Let’s be clear, the Modi government is acting in a criminal and unconstitutional manner, going after political… pic.twitter.com/VrwF9TGdek
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
