IT minister, Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishor, Mamata nephew among potential Pegasus 'targets': Report

New Delhi, July 19: Phone numbers of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, poll strategist Prashant Kishor were among 300 verified Indian numbers that were listed as potential targets of Pegasus spyware, a global media consortium reported Monday.

According to The Wire, the list also includes the numbers of the newly appointed Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's MP nephew Abhishek Banerjee were also on the list.

Reportedly two numbers used by Rahul Gandhi ave been given up since they were allegedly targeted. The list also allegedly includes numbers of five friends and acquaintances of Rahul Gandhi during the Lok Sabha elections.

However, Rahul Gandhi was not using those numbers at the time of snooping and Hence, without the use of forensics, it is not possible to conclusively tell if Pegasus was deployed against the Wayanad MP, the second explosive report by the Wire reported.

An international media consortium reported Sunday that more than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including of two serving ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and one sitting judge besides scores of businesspersons and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through an Israeli spyware sold only to government agencies.

The leaked data report includes journalists from big media houses like the Hindustan Times, including executive editor Shishir Gupta, India Today, Network18, The Hindu and Indian Express'.

Among the numbers is one that was registered in the name of a sitting Supreme Court judge, the website said, adding it was yet to verify if the judge was still using the number.

The government has, however, dismissed allegations of any kind of surveillance on its part, saying the accusation has no concrete basis or truth associated with it whatsoever.