Nude pictures on Kuppam’s official WhatsApp group creates a flutter

The official WhatsApp group of the Kuppam Revenue Division, managed by the Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department, was briefly hit on Thursday after objectionable nude images and suspicious APK links appeared in the group, creating a flutter among the official and media circles.

Members in the group included senior officials from Chittoor and Tirupati districts and a few higher-level officers from Amaravati. The unexpected posts led to confusion nearly for two hours before the content was deleted. The WhatsApp group mainly focuses on the development of the Kuppam region, VVIP visits, such as Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and activities of the Kuppam Area Development Authority (KADA).

District Information and Public Relations Officer (Chittoor) N. Velayudham said his mobile phone had been hacked, resulting in the unauthorised posts. He said the issue was immediately reported to District Collector Sumit Kumar and senior officials of the department.

Mr. Velayudham said a formal complaint was lodged with the Tirupati cybercrime police on Friday (January 16), seeking an investigation into the incident. He added that preliminary steps are being taken to review security protocols for official digital platforms. Further investigation is underway.