The Centre on Thursday urged citizens to beware of malicious incoming calls from international numbers claiming to cause disruption in India’s stock exchanges and trading.
In an advisory, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications said such calls are initiated by anti-national elements aimed at creating panic.
It asked the people to report such calls to DoT or telecom service providers.
“The DoT has directed all telecom service providers to block malicious calls from such numbers. Citizens, on receiving such calls, are advised to report to DoT at help-sancharsaathi[at]gov[dot]in or their telecom service providers,” the advisory stated.
The government said the recorded malicious messages would urge the people to sell the Indian stocks before March 12, claiming impending destruction of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
“Report any cyber crime at the National Cyber Crime portal or call 1930,” the advisory added.
DoT is the nodal agency for formulating policies, programmes, and regulatory frameworks for the telecommunications sector in India, committed to ensuring the security and well-being of citizens, the DoT strives to provide reliable and secure communication services across the nation, it said.
The advisory comes in the wake of Khalistani extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun warning about targeting the Indian stock market. The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) founder called for the “destruction” of India’s economy on March 12, which marks the anniversary of the 1993 Mumbai blasts.