Bengaluru, May 16 (UNI) Nishant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, on Friday, alleged deep-rooted Chinese influence in the functioning of travel platform MakeMyTrip and warned of a potential national security breach involving the Indian armed forces.

Taking to X, Pitti claimed that half of MakeMyTrip’s 10-member board had direct ties to China, with key appointments allegedly made by Trip.com, a company with Chinese ownership. "MakeMyTrip may dismiss this as a 'motivated accusation' but when national security is at stake, silence is not an option," he said.

Pitti further alleged that three of the four most strategic board committees were either led or heavily influenced by directors with affiliations to China, giving them "disproportionate sway over critical decisions."

"The appointment of a new director on May 14 changes little," Pitti noted, adding that a single board reshuffle cannot conceal what he termed the "deep-rooted structure of Chinese-backed influence" within the company’s governance framework.

In a separate post, Pitti raised serious concerns over the usage of the platform by Indian armed forces personnel for booking discounted travel. He warned that the data entered, such as defence ID, route, and travel dates, could be accessed by hostile entities. "Our enemies know where our soldiers are flying," he wrote, attaching screenshots purporting to show the vulnerability.

Pitti urged authorities to immediately address the alleged loophole to safeguard national interests. There was no immediate response from MakeMyTrip at the time of filing this report.

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