Inclined to entrust CBI with investigation of all digital arrest cases: SC

In a move underscoring the growing menace of cybercrime, the Supreme Court on Monday, 27 October, said it was inclined to hand over the investigation into “digital arrest” scams to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing the “magnitude and nationwide spread” of these crimes that have shaken public trust in law enforcement.

A bench comprising justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to all States and Union Territories, seeking details of FIRs filed in connection with such cases, as it took up the suo motu proceedings triggered by a chilling complaint — that of an elderly woman allegedly defrauded by cybercriminals posing as police officers.

The court observed that the rise in digital arrest scams — where victims are coerced into transferring money through fabricated video calls and forged judicial documents — has created a “new frontier of criminality” that transcends geographical boundaries.

“We are inclined to entrust the probe to the CBI after taking into account the magnitude and pan-India spread of these crimes,” the bench said, adding that it would monitor the agency’s progress and issue further directions as necessary.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, told the court that many of these sophisticated cyber operations are being orchestrated from offshore locations, particularly Myanmar and Thailand. The bench directed the CBI to formulate a comprehensive action plan to trace the masterminds and dismantle the transnational network behind these frauds.

It also asked the agency to indicate whether it required additional resources, including the engagement of independent cyber experts outside the police force, to strengthen its investigation.

The court’s intervention builds on its earlier order of 17 October, when it had first taken cognisance of a spate of digital arrest cases — especially one in Haryana’s Ambala, where fraudsters impersonating police and court officials “arrested” a senior citizen couple online, using forged orders to extort Rs 1.05 crore.

Calling such incidents a “brazen assault on public confidence in the justice system”, the bench remarked that the matter could not be treated like an ordinary case to be pursued by a single state police force.

“This requires coordinated efforts between central and state agencies to unearth the full extent of the criminal enterprise,” the court said, hinting that the issue had grown beyond isolated fraud to a national threat demanding central oversight.

The apex court will next hear the matter on 3 November, when the CBI is expected to present its proposed framework for investigation — one that could mark the first coordinated national response to a cyber menace rapidly blurring the lines between digital deception and real-world terror.

With PTI inputs