The selection of Indian numbers largely commenced around the time of Narendra Modi's trip to Israel in 2017, the first visit to the country by an Indian Prime Minister and a marker of the burgeoning relationship between the two nations, including billions of dollars in deals between Delhi and Israeli defence industries, The Guardian reported.

Modi and the then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were pictured during the trip, walking barefoot together on a beach. Days before, Indian targets had started being selected, The Guardian said.