'Stuck at Connaught Place': Posing as CJI Chandrachud, fraudster requests Rs 500 for cab fare; SC files complaint

From fake social media accounts to phishing e-mails, cybercrime frauds and cyber scams have become common in today's digital age.

A fraudster posing as the Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud sent messages to an individual claiming that he was stuck in Connaught Place and had an urgent meet of the collegium to attend.

The scammer requested Rs 500 to pay for cab and even promised to pay the amount back after reaching his destination.

In a post on X, Debayan Roy, a special correspondent of the Supreme Court shared a screenshot of the fraud messages wherein the second message's sign off read, "Sent from iPad."

The X post by Roy read, "Supreme Court of India on instructions of CJI DY Chandrachud registers a cybercrime complaint in the case where a scammer impersonated CJI Chandrachud and asked for ₹500 for a cab #SupremeCourt."

Taking cognizance of the crime and as per Chandrachud's directions, the Supreme Court filed a complaint with the cybercrime cell on August 27.

Reactions to the post which has garnered over 44K views, where an X user said, "Hahahaha CJI asking for 500."

Another user wrote, "Can Supreme Court directly register crime complaints? I thought that was done in police stations."

A reply to the X post read, "Sent from iPad. Lol."

"Twitter pe zyada bakchodi karoge toh yehi hoga," another reply read.

A social media user said, "But did anyone actually pay him? Or did people just think "Serves him right" and ignored his plea?"

Another user said, "Every day thousands are scammed for lakhs... they get serious for 500."

Rise in cybercrimes

Cybercrime cases in Bengaluru Rural district are on an alarming rise of over 1,000 per cent from 2020 to 2023, underscoring how those on the city outskirts were now falling prey.

Data analysed exclusively by Deccan Herald revealed that cases registered at the dedicated Cybercrime, Economic Offences and Narcotics (CEN) crime station jumped from 39 in 2020 to 484 in 2023 — a whopping 1,141 per cent increase.

In 2021, the district reported 70 cases; in 2022 - 227, and in 2024 - 151 cases (until April) were reported. Bengaluru Rural had the most cases in 2023, compared to the other districts.

Between 2020 and April 2024, the cybercrime victims in the district lost a whopping Rs 75.57 crore — the most in 2023 (Rs 35.53 crore). During the period, the CEN investigators recovered Rs 16.11 crore. Till April this year, Rs 28.74 crore was lost.