Why was 幸 simplified to 扌in 報(⿰幸) to 报(⿰扌)? The simplification of 報(⿰幸) to 报(⿰扌) is slightly peculiar. The particularly intriguing area is in the simplification of the left-hand side, with 幸 being simplified into 扌.

There is another similar instance with 執 being simplified to 执. Another 幸 to 扌simplification. 

There must be a method to this madness but it isn't immediately evident in the characters themselves.

Ideas?
As with many simplified characters, cursive scripts (Caoshu) can be informative.

In "Chuyue tie" by the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi, 報 is written as follows:



As @dROOOze mentioned in the comment, the radical 幸 came from the character for handcuffs, which could indicate that the use of 扌(手) might related; but I can't find any source for this so far.