‘I’m in Thailand, send me money’: Scamster poses as judge, targets Delhi lawyers

On August 24, Advocate Gaganpreet Singh received an unlikely message from an unknown number, purportedly from a Delhi district court judge.

“How are you? Where are you? This is my second number… I need some money,” it said.

It instantly set off alarm bells in his head, and has now resulted in an FIR against an alleged scamster for impersonating Principal District & Sessions Judge (West) Vijay Kumar Dahiya and using his photograph to ask members of the Delhi Bar Association (Tis Hazari Court) for money over Whatsapp.

Finding it suspicious, he decided to dig a little deeper and went to the judge’s courtroom.

“I was shocked to see that the Judge was sitting in Tis Hazari. I spoke to him and he confirmed to me that he didn’t go to Thailand and wasn’t asking for money from anyone. I told him that even his image is being used by the impersonator. He was as shocked as I was,” he said.

Now sure that there was an impersonator at play, Singh asked around further to find out that he was not the only one who had received such messages.

“The message was sent to other former and current executive members of our bar association as well. We all grew suspicious when he started asking for money. The only reason I had decided to reply was that the display picture was of our judge. This is a big scam… they’re even using the faces of our judges,” Singh said.

He went to the police, and the Subzi Mandi Police Station registered an FIR on August 25.

“Complaint regarding a fake social media/Whatsapp messaging account asking for money in the name of Id. Ld. Principal District & Sessions Judge, West, along with his official photograph as the display picture. This imposter is messaging Members of Delhi Bar Association and asking for money, emergency financial help, or unauthorised transfers under false pretenses. This fraudulent activity is a severe misuse of judicial authority, harms the reputation of the judiciary, and poses a grave threat,” stated the FIR.

Police said they are investigating the case and no arrest has been made yet.

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey. 2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More