PM Modi's Twitter handle hacked, restored later; Bitcoin tweet deleted

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official Twitter account was "very briefly compromised" during the early hours on Sunday.

Although the handle was restored later, a link promising a bitcoin giveaway had already been shared from the account and was later deleted, Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said on Sunday.

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"The Twitter handle of PM @narendramodi was very briefly compromised. The matter was escalated to Twitter and the account has been immediately secured. In the brief period that the account was compromised, any Tweet shared must be ignored," PMO tweeted.  

PM Modi's account has over 73.4 million followers. Before his official Twitter handle was restored, many netizens shared screenshots of the tweet from the prime minister's account, which was shared with a URL on his timeline. "India has officially adopted bitcoin as legal tender. The government has officially bought 500 BTC and is distributing them to all residents of the country," the now-deleted tweet read. #Hacked started trending in India after PM Modi's account was compromised.

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 "Good Morning Modi ji, Sab Changa Si?," Srinivas BV, the national president of the Indian Youth Congress, posted on its official Twitter handle. 

"Was the Twitter account of the Hon'ble PM shri #NarendraModi ji hacked? And promise of #Bitcoin !!" tweeted political activist Tehseen Poonawalla.

The Twitter account of PM Modi's personal website was also hacked in September last year and tweets soliciting Cryptocurrency were put up.