New Delhi: The hacker who leaked confidential personal data from Star Health and Allied Insurance last year has now claimed responsibility for sending threatening packages—including bullets—to top executives at India’s largest health insurance provider.
Identifying under the alias “xenZen”, the hacker detailed the threats in an email sent to Reuters on March 31, which is being reported for the first time. The threats reportedly targeted Chief Executive Anand Roy and Chief Financial Officer Nilesh Kambli, intensifying scrutiny around the insurer already reeling from a major data breach.
The Chennai-headquartered Star Health, a major player in India’s insurance sector, has faced sustained backlash since Reuters first reported in September that xenZen had leaked sensitive medical and personal data of over 31 million clients. At that time, the hacker claimed to possess 7.24 terabytes of customer information and was actively seeking buyers.
In the March 31 email, xenZen said that the threats were motivated by Star Health’s alleged refusal to honor medical claims for some policyholders. The hacker alleged that disgruntled customers reached out for help after the company reportedly declined coverage payments.
International news agency Reuters reported that they have not independently verified the identity or location of xenZen, nor the authenticity of the hacker’s assertions about the threats or the stated motive.
Star Health’s chief legal officer, when contacted by Reuters, declined to comment, citing a “highly sensitive criminal investigation” into the breach.
xenZen said they had concealed bullet cartridges in two packages mailed to Star Health’s headquarters in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in February. The email also contained images of parcels addressed to Roy and Kambli, along with a chilling note:
“next one will go in ur and ur peoples head. tik tik tik.”
Roy did not respond to a request for comment. Kambli redirected queries to the company’s public relations team, which has yet to issue a formal response.
On Saturday, The New Indian Express reported that local police in Tamil Nadu were investigating the threats and had tied them to xenZen. Reuters contacted Tamil Nadu police, but no response was received.
However, three Indian police officials confirmed that an investigation is underway. They declined to be named due to the confidentiality of the matter. One official said that a man from Telangana had been arrested in connection with the incident for allegedly assisting in the delivery of the packages. His identity and current detention status remain unknown.
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This case has further highlighted the rising risks facing health care executives globally. In December, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in what authorities labeled a targeted attack. The incident intensified concerns over increasing consumer frustration with insurance companies.
In the March 31 email, xenZen referenced the Thompson case and said the threats were sent after being approached by Star Health customers who were allegedly denied legitimate claims.
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Star Health has not publicly commented on the alleged motive or the claims of rejected policyholders. Internally, the company has launched an investigation into the 2023 data breach, which reportedly followed a $68,000 ransom demand from the hacker.
In response, Star Health filed a lawsuit against xenZen and Telegram for hosting the leaked data on chatbot platforms. Court records indicate the chatbot pages were subsequently removed, but legal proceedings remain ongoing.
