In the aftermath of the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, a WhatsApp message claiming that the Government of India had issued an urgent security advisory for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana sparked panic across the two states.
The message, styled to look like an official alert, listed 14 locations — including the Secunderabad Railway Station and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport — as being on “high alert.” It also claimed that specialised anti-terror squads from OCTOPUS (Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations) would be deployed to these areas by the night to enhance security measures.
However, the Telangana government has denied issuing any such advisory.
In a statement, Telangana government’s Fact-check team clarified that no special alert had been issued for the state.
“No special alert has been issued for Telangana as claimed in the viral messages.” They said that the Hyderabad police has stepped up its security following the Pahalgam incident as a precautionary measure but denied any high alerts. “Public is advised to stay alert and not fall for misinformation,” they said.
Mahesh Bhagwat, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) said that in case of any security arrangements, an official statement will be issued by the office of the Director General of Police (DGP).