<h1>Citizen petition converted to public interest litigation over QR-code extortion using fake non-bailable warrants; banks and telecoms to be investigated</h1> A high court converted a citizen's petition into a public interest litigation after finding a scam involving issuance of fake non-bailable warrants in the names of judges and police officers used to extort payments via QR codes; funds were routed through four bank accounts. The court noted alleged inaction by local police and observed the scheme undermines institutional credibility, indicating possible involvement of private banks. It directed the central banking regulator, the private banks holding the fraudulent accounts, and telecom service providers be impleaded as parties to the proceedings and investigated.