India's top digital payments company Paytm said its consumer data was safe after police arrested three people, including the company's spokeswoman, over allegations they tried to blackmail its founder and extort nearly $3 million by threatening to leak personal data.
India's top digital payments company Paytm said its consumer data was safe after police arrested three people, including the company's spokeswoman, over allegations they tried to blackmail its founder and extort nearly $3 million by threatening to leak personal data.
"This is a case of personal data theft of Vijay Shekhar Sharma, where three arrests were made yesterday," the company said in a statement. "Paytm would like to reiterate that all our consumer data is protected with the highest & most impenetrable levels of security." The company said it would not comment further, pending the police investigation.
The Noida Police arrested three Paytm employees for allegedly trying to blackmail the e-wallet giant's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma and extort Rs 20 crore. According to police, one of the employees who has been arrested happened to be Sharma's secretary and is believed to be the mastermind behind the act. The accused also threatened Sharma to leak stolen personal data and confidential information if the amount was not paid on time.
"Sharma had lodged a complaint with the police that three employees, a woman and two of her aides, had stolen personal data from the company and blackmailed to pay Rs. 20 crore for not leaking the confidential information," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ajay Pal Sharma said. "We took immediate action. An investigation has been initiated to look into the matter as well. Necessary actions will be taken on the basis of additional facts," Sharma added.
With inputs from Reuters
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