Digital arrest scams: Supreme Court orders CBI to investigate growing menace

New Delhi: Digital arrest scams in India are on the rise, with senior citizens falling prey to them mostly. On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into these scams.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted three kinds of cybercrime highlighted by amicus curiae. They are digital arrest scams, investment scams and part-time job scams, with all of them having the common link of extortion attempts or a scheme to force victims to deposit large amounts of money.

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The Supreme Court ordered the CBI to investigate the digital arrest scams on priority. It said in its order, "Digital arrest scams require the immediate attention of the premier investigating agency of the country. Therefore, we proceed with a clear direction that CBI shall first investigate cases of digital arrest scams. The other categories of scams shall be taken up in the next stages." It also issued the following directions to strengthen the CBI probe ordered today.

The CBI will investigate under the Prevention of Corruption Act the role of bankers, where scammers open bank accounts for digital arrest scams. Also, the SC has asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to help the court with the possibility of using artificial intelligence or machine learning to identify such suspicious accounts and act on them.

The authorities under the Information Technology Intermediary Rules 2021 have to cooperate with the CBI, and all states have to grant CBI consent for the probe. Notably, the apex court gave the order in a suo motu case that it initiated in October this year to address the growing menace of digital arrest scams across the country.