New Delhi— The Supreme Court on Monday expressed grave concern over the alarming rise of “digital arrest” scams, declaring that such crimes must be dealt with an “iron hand.” The court revealed that over ₹3,000 crore has been extorted from victims across India, many of them senior citizens.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan, and Joymalya Bagchi reviewed confidential reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), calling the scale of cybercrime “shocking.” The court said it would issue strict judicial directions to empower agencies combating these frauds. “If we don’t pass stringent orders, this menace will magnify,” Justice Kant warned.
Digital arrest scams involve fraudsters impersonating law enforcement or judicial officers to intimidate victims through video and audio calls, often showing fake court documents or orders. Victims are coerced into transferring money to avoid “arrest” or “legal action.”
The bench appointed an amicus curiae to assist in framing strong legal measures and scheduled the next hearing for November 10. The court said it would consider fresh directions based on the amicus’s recommendations.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the CBI, said the Ministry of Home Affairs’ cybercrime division is actively investigating such cases. The CBI informed the bench that several of these scams are being operated from offshore “scam compounds” with financial, technical, and human resources working in coordination.
The top court took suo motu cognisance of a letter from an elderly woman in Ambala, Haryana, who said she and her husband were victims of a digital arrest scam. The couple was allegedly detained virtually and extorted of ₹1.05 crore by fraudsters impersonating CBI and ED officers using forged judicial orders. Two FIRs have since been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions.
Earlier, on October 27, the apex court said it was inclined to hand over the probe of all digital arrest cases to the CBI, considering their pan-India spread and complexity. The court had also sought a report on the number of FIRs filed across states and asked whether the CBI required additional cyber experts to assist in investigations.
On October 17, the Supreme Court warned that the misuse of its name, forged signatures of judges, and fake judicial orders to deceive citizens “strikes at the very foundation of public trust” in the justice system. It stressed that such offences could not be treated as ordinary cybercrimes but as acts undermining judicial integrity.
