'Shocking That Rs 3000 Crores Collected Through Digital Arrest Scams' : Supreme Court To Pass Stringent Directions

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed shock over the fact that victims across India have collectively lost nearly ₹3000 crore to the digital arrests scam.

Hearing a suo motu case initiated to curb the surge in online scams and impersonation rackets, a Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi described the situation as “shocking” and stressed the need for urgent and stringent judicial intervention.

“It's shocking that almost ₹3000 crores have been collected from victims in our country alone. If we ignore it right now and are not able to pass harsh and stringent orders, the problem will magnify. We are determined to deal with it with iron hands,” Justice Kant observed after pursuing the sealed cover notes submitted by investigating agencies.

The court was apprised that these scams often involve cybercriminals posing as law enforcement officers, coercing victims, particularly senior citizens, into transferring large sums of money under false pretexts of criminal charges or investigations.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union Government, highlighted the human cost of these crimes, stating:

“Especially the victims are aged people, that's the most pathetic aspect.”

Justice Kant emphasised that the Court would not hesitate to issue strong directives if necessary, warning that unchecked digital frauds could erode public confidence in digital governance and law enforcement systems.

Earlier, the Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter after receiving a letter from a senior citizen couple from Haryana, who were victims of one such cyber fraud.

Last week, the Court had proposed to transfer all such cases across the States to the CBI and issued notice to all States.