According to a report by Sputnik India citing unnamed sources, Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, is said to have secretly hacked into the home servers of Sam Pitroda, chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. The covert operation allegedly aimed to explore possible connections between the Indian opposition and U.S.-based firm Hindenburg Research. According to a report by Sputnik, Mossad allegedly broke into Sam Pitroda’s systems in the U.S., gaining access to encrypted chatrooms and private communication channels.

The operation's stated aim was to find evidence linking members of the Indian National Congress to the Hindenburg team prior to the release of the January 2023 report on the Adani Group.

The report also alleges that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was among those linked to the communications. The surveillance was intended to determine if there was a coordinated attempt to use the Hindenburg report to politically target Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Multiple media outlets have reported the same, citing Sputnik India as the source. So far, there has been no official response from Mossad, the Israeli government, Sam Pitroda, Rahul Gandhi, or the Congress party. 

In January 2023, Hindenburg Research released a report accusing the Adani Group of manipulating stock prices, using questionable accounting practices, and relying on offshore shell companies to boost its valuation.

The report led to a massive drop in the value of Adani Group's stocks, resulting in a market loss of over $100 billion. The company firmly denied the accusations, dismissing the report as a “malicious mix of selective misinformation and outdated, unfounded claims.”