India Supreme Court Weighs CBI Probe Into Nationwide Digital Arrest Scams

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed all States and Union Territories to provide details of first information reports (FIRs) registered in connection with digital arrest scams, as it considered transferring the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

 

A Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said it was examining whether the CBI had the capacity to investigate such cases across the country. The direction came after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the agency was already handling several cases of this nature.

 

Justice Bagchi questioned whether the CBI could manage the nationwide caseload, noting that similar challenges had arisen in Ponzi scheme investigations. “The issue is volume. The pressure on CBI was immense in those cases. Are you prepared for an exclusive investigation and the additional resources that may be required?” he asked.

 

Justice Kant added that if the agency required cybercrime specialists, it could inform the Court accordingly. The Solicitor General replied that the CBI was already receiving assistance from the Cybercrime Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

 

The Bench said it favoured a uniform probe but would issue no immediate directions until hearing from all States. Accordingly, notices were issued directing them to furnish FIR details related to digital arrest scams.

 

The Court is hearing a suo motu case initiated on October 17 to tackle the growing menace of such scams, which involve fraudsters posing as officials of central agencies like the CBI or Intelligence Bureau to extort money from victims through fake video calls and forged documents.

 

The proceedings stemmed from a complaint by a senior citizen couple who were duped of ₹1.5 crore by scammers impersonating government officials. The couple said they were threatened with arrest and coerced into transferring money.

 

Investigations by the Ambala Cybercrime Branch revealed a coordinated network of similar offences targeting senior citizens across multiple States. Taking note of the scale of the problem, the Court had earlier sought reports from the Central government, the CBI, and the Haryana police, while calling for coordinated efforts between Central and State authorities.

 

During Monday’s hearing, the Additional Advocate General of Haryana said that more FIRs had since been registered in the State and requested a week to submit details. The Court accepted the request and extended similar directions to other States and Union Territories to provide case data for record purposes.

 

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