NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s top digital payments company Paytm said on Tuesday 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.
An advertisement board displaying a QR code for Paytm, a digital wallet company, is seen placed amidst vegetables at a roadside vendor’s stall in Mumbai, November 19, 2016. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade/Files
“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.
Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani