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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday took a tough stance against the growing menace of “digital arrests,” ordering the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to launch a comprehensive, nationwide investigation into these cases.Digital arrest is an emerging cybercrime in which fraudsters impersonate police, court officials, or government agency representatives to intimidate victims through audio or video calls. They falsely accuse individuals of involvement in illegal activities, keep them virtually “hostage,” and coerce them into paying money by threatening severe consequences if they refuse.A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed states—including opposition-led West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana—to grant the CBI consent to investigate digital arrest cases within their borders. Several opposition-ruled states have withdrawn general consent for CBI probes, alleging that the BJP-led central government “misuses” central agencies to target non-BJP parties. The ruling party has consistently denied these allegations.The bench also questioned the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on why Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools were not being used to swiftly freeze bank accounts linked to cyber fraud. It issued a notice to the central bank seeking an explanation.Hearing the matter suo motu—based on a complaint from an elderly couple in Haryana—the Supreme Court observed that senior citizens are among the primary targets of cyber extortion schemes.The court further instructed the CBI to seek assistance from Interpol to trace cybercriminals operating from offshore tax havens.To strengthen coordination with the central agency, the bench directed all states and Union territories to establish regional and state-level cybercrime coordination centres.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was asked to present the views of key Union ministries—including Home Affairs, Telecom, Finance, and Electronics & IT—on tackling cybercrime.At the outset, the court also ordered the CBI to investigate bank officials who may be “hand-in-glove” with fraudsters by enabling “mule” accounts, which cybercriminals use to receive and transfer illicit funds while concealing their identities.A mule account is a bank account opened in someone else’s name and used to move illegal money, making it difficult for investigators to trace its true source.Earlier, on November 3, the Supreme Court had expressed shock at the scale of digital arrest scams across the country, noting that over Rs 3,000 crore has allegedly been extorted from victims, especially senior citizens. It stressed that such crimes must be dealt with “an iron hand.”(With PTI inputs)
