'Our enemies know where soldiers fly': EaseMyTrip accuses rival of China link, MakeMyTrip denies ‘malicious’ charge

NEW DELHI: A fierce corporate battle has broken out in online travel space, with serious national security undertones.EaseMyTrip founder Nishant Pitti has accused rival MakeMyTrip of endangering defence personnel by allegedly sharing booking data through a platform he claimed is "majorly owned by China". In a provocative post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday evening, Pitti alleged that armed forces book discounted tickets on a platform that "enters Defence ID, route & date", potentially exposing troop movements. Without directly naming MakeMyTrip, he attached screenshots pointing to the company’s interface.“Our enemies know where our soldiers are flying. Attaching screenshots exposing this loophole, it must be patched now,” Pitti wrote, triggering a storm on social media.In response, MakeMyTrip has strongly refuted the claims, calling them "malicious" and "motivated". A spokesperson told PTI that the company is a “proud Indian company, founded by Indians, headquartered in India, and trusted by millions of Indian travellers for over 25 years.”On the question of ownership, the spokesperson clarified that MakeMyTrip is listed on the Nasdaq with a “diverse global shareholder base”, but its operations are fully run by Indian professionals and it complies with all Indian laws and data privacy frameworks.MakeMyTrip has emphasized that it does not respond to “motivated accusations” and will stay focused on serving customers responsibly.