Hacker Sends Death Threats and Bullets to Star Health Executives After Massive Data Breach

A hacker identified as “xenZen” has admitted to sending death threats and bullet cartridges to top executives of Star Health, India’s largest health insurer, claiming it was in retaliation for the company’s alleged denial of certain insurance claims. The threats were directed at CEO Anand Roy and CFO Nilesh Kambli and were sent in February 2025 to the firm’s headquarters in Chennai. The packages included handwritten notes and bullets, with a chilling message warning that the next bullet would be aimed at their heads.

This incident follows a major data breach in September 2024, when xenZen released over 7 terabytes of confidential data, compromising the personal and medical information of approximately 31 million customers. Since then, the company has faced mounting criticism from both the public and cybersecurity experts over its handling of sensitive data.

Star Health responded to the breach by initiating legal proceedings against the hacker and Telegram, where stolen data had been circulated via automated chatbots. Telegram has since removed the bots, but the legal case continues. Meanwhile, law enforcement in Tamil Nadu is investigating the threats, and authorities have arrested a man in Telangana suspected of helping send the threatening packages. However, the true identity and location of xenZen remain unknown.

The case has raised alarms within India’s health insurance sector and beyond, especially in light of recent global events, such as the 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. These developments highlight growing risks to executives in the health industry as discontent over data privacy and service delivery escalates.

Star Health has refrained from commenting in detail, citing an active investigation. Nonetheless, the company reaffirmed its commitment to protecting customer privacy and is cooperating closely with law enforcement to address the security breach and the associated threats.