The Supreme Court on Monday, December 1, granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sweeping authority to launch a unified, nationwide probe into the rapidly rising ‘digital arrest’ scams that have defrauded citizens across India.
The Bench flagged a sharp increase in cases where fraudsters impersonate police, courts or central agencies to intimidate victims using fake arrest notices, video calls and forged documents. Calling the trend a “serious threat to public confidence,” the Court said a centralised investigation was urgently required.
CBI Gets Expanded Mandate
Under the Supreme Court’s directions, the CBI has been empowered to investigate digital arrest cases across states without jurisdictional barriers, freeze bank accounts suspected of facilitating fraud, and access mobile-phone, SIM and other digital-forensic data vital to the probe. The agency may also examine the involvement of bank officials under corruption laws where account misuse is detected, and work closely with state cybercrime units and local police to ensure effective preservation of electronic evidence.
States Asked to Cooperate
To enable seamless nationwide action, the Court has instructed all states and Union Territories to immediately grant consent for CBI investigations under the IT Act. Telecom operators have been directed to tighten SIM-card issuance norms to curb misuse by organised scam networks.
Broader Regulatory Action
Regulators including the Reserve Bank of India and the Department of Telecommunications have been asked to strengthen monitoring frameworks, enhance fraud-detection systems and support the CBI in dismantling the expanding cybercrime networks behind these scams.
Growing National Concern
‘Digital arrest’ frauds, often targeting seniors and vulnerable individuals, have evolved into highly sophisticated operations with cross-border links. Cyber experts warn that these networks use layered bank accounts, spoofed caller IDs and overseas call centres to evade detection.
The Supreme Court said it will continue to oversee the matter and has directed the CBI to submit regular status reports as investigations progress.
