post news network
Bhubaneswar/Chhatrapur: Unknown miscreant have hacked the website of Ganjam district regional transport office (www.rtoganjam.com) here and posted the Pakistan’s national flag while along with inflammatory slogans like Pakistan Zindabad on its homepage.
As soon as the matter came to light, Orissa DGP KB Singh told the media Sunday that the case has been handed over to the state Crime Branch’s cyber cell.
“Crime Branch’s special cell will investigate the matter. We will also keep a tight vigil on other state government websites in a bid to prevent such hacking efforts,” Singh said. The DGP, however, added the hacked website was not the official website of Ganjam RTO.
Singh also asserted there is no terrorist threat to the state.The matter came to light Sunday after the RTO authorities blocked the website by changing its internet protocol (IP) address. After reports surfaced, regional transport officer Sanjay Biswal lodged a complaint with Chhatrapur police which registered a case in this connection, police IIC Bishnu Prasad Patra said. It is suspected that miscreants might have hacked similar websites.
The website before being blocked displayed the Facebook link of some Abbas Mastan on its home page. The suspected hacker might have also posted a Pakistan flag, inflammatory slogans and has threatened to hack all state government websites and other companies and demanded freedom for the Muslims and independence of Kashmir.
Superintendent of police Narsingh Bhol said they have alerted the cyber cell of the state Crime Branch about the development. Later the district police’s cyber cell and Chhatrapur police started a joint investigation into the murky affair, Bhol said in a press release Sunday evening
However, the authorities drew solace as the website does not contain any classified information and was not approved by the state government. Moreover, it does not have any link with the state transport department. The site was owned by the Ganjam RTO office and aimed at disseminating information to the general public on the services provided by the office.
It is also difficult to ascertain the exact date of hacking as the website has not been updated for over a month.According to the RTO Biswal the site aimed at providing service to the people was opened on an experimental basis in May, 2015 and contained information about the staff, application formats and photographs on road safety week conducted in 2015.
The site was created by Bhubaneswar based-Creative Blossoms Private Ltd agency which might have taken a year to construct the page with necessary details and later on the agency might have received its payment, he said. After updating the website there were plans to merge it with the official website of Ganjam district (ganjam.nic.in), he said.Collector Prem Chandra Choudhury said investigations are under way.