Delhi Crime Branch registers FIR over fake account freeze notifications of IFF, SFLC X; probes “cheater”
Image is for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: Reuters
The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has registered a case regarding fraudulent notices allegedly issued on behalf of the force to remove social media posts and block accounts belonging to the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) and the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), an official close to the development told The Hindu.
Also read | ‘Imposter’ sent fake police notices to block IFF accounts, SFLC: X tells Delhi High Court
The FIR was registered on charges of impersonating a public servant and forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and Section 66 of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
The development comes days after social media platform X told the Delhi High Court that an internal investigation had proved that the notices were not genuine police communications and were sent by a “fraudster”. The platform also told the court that it did not act on the requests and does not take down the organizations’ accounts.
The case follows a November 6 hearing before Justice Amit Mahajan, who heard petitions filed by two digital rights organizations challenging alleged takedown requests. X’s counsel told the court that the platform conducted an internal investigation and found that someone was impersonating the Delhi Police.
“We have not acted on it. The notification is not being sent by Delhi Police. We have lodged a complaint with Delhi Police yesterday evening to find the scammer,” X’s lawyer said.
The court noted the platform’s assurance and disposed of the petitions, allowing the organizations to approach it again if any action was taken against their accounts.
The controversy began after X submitted two alleged ‘Illegal Content Reports’ to the IFF on November 3rd. The first, dated October 31, requested the removal of a post published by IFF on October 30 and another post by SFLC. The second, dated November 2, demanded the removal of 37 posts and the blocking of three accounts — @internetfreedom, @SFLCin and @geoblockedindia — in their entirety.
The notices alleged that the posts were “defamatory” against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). They reportedly demanded that the content be removed or withheld within three hours, citing provisions of the Information Technology Act and IT Rules, 2021.
The IFF said the posts in question were reproduced and commented on by a legal notice purportedly sent to an organization on behalf of the RSS. It insisted that the contributions constitute protected speech under Article 19(1)(a). a) of the Constitution and that he was not notified in advance before submitting requests for removal.
The organization subsequently sent a legal notice through its legal representative to the Delhi Police and X Corp. to clarify the requests.
The SFLC, meanwhile, questioned the authenticity of the communication after trying to verify it with the Delhi Police. It said an email sent to the address listed in the alleged notices returned as undeliverable with an error saying the user did not exist. The organization pointed out that the same email address was listed on the Delhi Police website at the time, further raising questions about the communication.
The organizations approached the Delhi High Court after failing to clarify whether the notice was actually issued by the police.
As part of the investigation, which is being carried out by the Cyber Unit of the Crime Branch, efforts are underway to trace the sender by examining IP address details and other digital traces. The Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit will also assist with the investigation.
Published – 10 Nov 2026 5:00 PM IST