Spurt in Digital Arrest Cases : Supreme Court Takes Note Of The Crime , Vows To Deal With It With Iron Hands

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The Supreme Court has  said it needs to deal with digital arrest cases with an iron hand as it expressed shock over the scale of such cybercrime cases in the country, with over Rs 3000 crore allegedly extorted from victims, including senior citizens.

Digital arrest is a growing form of cybercrime in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement or court officials or personnel from government agencies to intimidate victims through audio and video calls. They hold the victims hostage and put pressure on them to pay money.

According to media reports, A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and Joymalya Bagchi, which appointed an amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter, perused two sealed cover reports submitted by the ministry of home affairs and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

“It is shocking that over Rs 3000 crore have been collected from the victims, including senior citizens, across the country. If we don’t pass stringent and harsh orders, this problem will magnify.

“We have to strengthen the hands of our agencies through judicial orders. We are determined to deal with these crimes with iron hands,” the bench observed.

The top court posted the matter for hearing on November 10 and said that it will pass certain directions based on the suggestions from the amicus.

Justice Kant said that the CBI has pointed out that crime syndicates were being operated from offshore locations where they have “scam compounds” having financial, technical and human pillars.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the CBI, said that the ministry of home affairs’s cybercrime division is dealing with these issues.

The apex court has taken cognisance of a letter written by an elderly woman from Haryana’s Ambala to Chief Justice of India BR Gavai complaining that she and her husband were put under the so-called “digital arrest” on the basis of forged orders of the court and probe agencies by fraudsters, who extorted Rs 1.05 crore from them in September.