'Can you send Rs 500?': Man poses as CJI DY Chandrachud; SC files complaint

The Supreme Court filed a cybercrime complaint against a scammer who posed as CJI DY Chandrachud and asked money for a cab fare

The Supreme Court on Tuesday filed a cybercrime complaint with the Delhi Police against a social media account that impersonated Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and requested money for a cab fare.

The action was taken after Chief Justice Chandrachud noticed a screenshot of a message that went viral on social media on Sunday. The Supreme Court’s security department subsequently registered an FIR with the cybercrime unit after the CJI raised the issue.

What did the scammer’s message contain?

In the post, the scammer, who used the name and photo of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) in the profile, requested Rs 500 from an X user named Kailash Meghwal to pay for a cab to attend a Collegium meeting. The scammer assured Meghwal that the money would be refunded upon his arrival at the Supreme Court.

 

The screenshot of the post indicates that the impersonator was “stranded” at Connaught Place in Delhi.

The scammer wrote, “Hello, I am CJI and we have urgent meeting of the collegium and I am stuck at Cannaught Place. Can you send me Rs 500 for a cab?”

To make the text message look authentic, the scammer included “sent from iPad” at the end. The scammer also promised to return the money. “I will return the money once I reach the court,” the message said.

Fake police dupes two

In a separate incident from March this year, a 42-year-old man was arrested for posing as an inspector from the Delhi Police crime branch and defrauding two individuals of Rs 4 lakh. The accused, Ayub Khan, reportedly deceived the victims by promising to sell luxury cars and expensive cell phones, purportedly auctioned through Delhi courts at meager prices. The police had said that Ayub Khan, the accused, was arrested after an investigation into a fraud case filed at the Subzi Mandi police station in January.

The police discovered a counterfeit Delhi Police identity card in Khan’s possession.

Khan had previously been involved in four similar fraud cases, which were lodged at Kamla Market, Daryaganj, Hari Nagar, and Parliament Street police stations in Delhi. After duping people, Khan allegedly used the proceeds to indulge in a luxurious lifestyle and frequent nightclubs in Delhi and Mumbai.