Pune civic body’s property tax data stolen from server, sold by contract worker
A significant data security breach has been uncovered at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), where a hard disk containing property tax records of lakhs of residents was stolen from the civic body's server room and subsequently sold.
The theft occurred on the evening of May 25, but the PMC administration remained unaware of the breach for 15 days. An internal inquiry and review of CCTV footage led investigators to identify a maintenance worker employed by an external contractor as the prime suspect. During interrogation, the worker confessed to formatting the storage device and selling it for personal financial gain.
Property tax records include sensitive personal information of property owners, such as names, addresses, property details, and payment histories. The breach raises serious concerns about data security and privacy protections within civic bodies.
As of now, PMC has not issued a public statement detailing steps taken to recover the data or prevent future breaches. The incident highlights the risks associated with third-party contractors accessing sensitive infrastructure.
