NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday expressed grave concern over the massive scale of “digital arrest” cyber fraud across the country and demanded the crime be tackled “with an iron hand.”
The scam involves fraudsters impersonating law enforcement or government officials and coercing victims, often senior citizens, into paying money through intimidation on audio and video calls.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan, and Joymalya Bagchi reviewed sealed reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Court observed: “It is shocking that over ₹3,000 crore have been collected from the victims… If we do not pass stringent and harsh orders, this problem will magnify.”
Justice Kant pointed out that the CBI report indicated the operation of offshore crime syndicates running ‘scam compounds’ with sophisticated financial and operational units.
The court initiated the proceedings after receiving a letter from an elderly woman in Ambala, Haryana, who alleged she was coerced into paying ₹1.05 crore by fraudsters displaying fake court orders and impersonating officials from the CBI, ED, and judiciary.
The SC has appointed an amicus curiae to assist in the matter and will hear the case again on November 10, with an inclination to entrust the investigation of all digital arrest cases to the CBI due to the pan-India nature of the crime.
