The Supreme Court of India has contacted the Delhi Police following an incident in which a social media scammer impersonated Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to solicit money for a cab fare, as reported by Hindustan Times. The Delhi Police registered a cybercrime complaint on Tuesday.
The issue was highlighted when a screenshot of a message went viral on social media on Sunday. Chief Justice Chandrachud brought the matter to attention, prompting the Supreme Court’s security department to file a complaint with the Delhi Police’s cybercrime division on his instructions.
The scammer, posing as Chief Justice Chandrachud on a social media account, requested ₹500 from a user on X (formerly Twitter), claiming he needed the money for a cab to attend a Collegium meeting. The request was made to a user named Kailash Meghwal, with the scammer assuring repayment once he reached the Supreme Court.
The fraudulent message suggested that the impersonator was “stranded” at Connaught Place in Delhi. The text read: “Hello, I am CJI and we have urgent meeting of the collegium and I am stuck at Connaught Place can you send me 500rs for cab?” according to the Hindustan Times report. To lend authenticity to the request, the scammer followed up with another message, “Sent from iPad.”
This incident follows a similar case earlier this year, where a 42-year-old man was arrested in March for duping two individuals out of ₹4 lakh by impersonating a Delhi Police crime branch inspector. He pretended to be selling luxury cars and expensive cell phones, allegedly auctioned by Delhi courts at discounted rates. He was subsequently arrested for the fraud at the Subzi Mandi police station in January.
