New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) The Supreme Court today expressed grave concern after being informed that nearly Rs 3,000 crore have been extorted from citizens through cyber frauds, particularly in so-called digital arrest scams, where victims are coerced into transferring money under threat of fabricated criminal action.
A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi called for harsh and stringent measures to combat the rapidly growing menace.
“It’s shocking that almost Rs 3,000 crore has been collected from victims. And this is just in our country. If we don’t pass stringent orders, the problem will magnify. We will deal with this with iron hands,” the Bench observed.
The Court was hearing a suo motu case initiated to address the rising wave of digital arrest scams targeting citizens across India.
During the previous hearing, the Supreme Court had directed all States to submit details of FIRs registered in connection with such scams.
It had also sought clarification on whether the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) possessed adequate resources to investigate these nationwide offences.
Today, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the CBI submitted a sealed report to the Court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, informed that a dedicated unit within the MHA has been constituted to monitor and coordinate responses to such cybercrimes.
“A separate unit in MHA is coordinating, and several steps are being taken,” the Solicitor General submitted. After a brief hearing, the Court reserved its directions and ordered that the matter be listed again on November 10.
The suo motu proceedings stem from a letter petition sent by a senior citizen couple, who reported being defrauded of Rs 1.5 crore between September 1 and 16 by fraudsters posing as officials from the CBI, the Intelligence Bureau, and the judiciary.
The scammers allegedly used forged Supreme Court orders shown over video calls to intimidate the victims into paying the money under the pretext of avoiding arrest.
Subsequently, two FIRs were registered with the Cyber Crime Branch in Ambala, which uncovered an organized pattern of similar offences, especially targeting elderly individuals.
Taking note of these reports, the Supreme Court on October 17 had sought responses from the Central Government and the CBI and requested the Attorney General for India to assist the Court in framing systemic safeguards against such digital frauds.
