SC notice to states, UTs on 'digital arrests', top court favours CBI probe

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to all states and Union Territories, seeking details on 'digital arrest' and the FIR registered in cases, where gullible citizens are duped of their money by fake judicial and law enforcement authorities.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the court is inclined to entrust the matter to the CBI for probe into such cases, in view of the magnitude and pan-India spread of such crimes.

The court also felt cybercrime and 'digital arrest' cases originated from offshore locations and asked CBI to come up with a plan to probe these cases.

The court issued notices to all the states and UTs on 'digital arrest' cases. It fixed the suo motu cases registered on a complaint of an elderly woman defrauded by fraudsters on November 3.

The court noted the submissions of Attorney General R Venkataramani who said that cybercrime and 'digital arrest' cases are originating from offshore locations like Myanmar and Thailand.

The court asked the CBI to come up with a plan to probe these cases, as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, said some similar cases were being investigated by the CBI.

Mehta said, sometimes, people are lured to go abroad with promises of employment and once they reach there, they are told that money has been spent on them and they must recover it by generating funds online. Their passports are seized, and they become human slaves.

“We will monitor the progress of the CBI investigation, issue whatever directions are necessary,” the bench said.

The court asked the CBI to respond whether it needs more resources, including cyber experts who are not in police force, to investigate 'digital arrest' cases.

On October 17, taking note of rising incidents of online frauds in the country, especially 'digital arrests' to dupe citizens by fabricating judicial orders, the top court sought responses of the Centre and the CBI, saying such offences strike at the "very foundation" of public trust in the system.

The suo moto writ petition was taken due to a complaint filed by a senior citizen couple from Ambala, who have been defrauded of their life savings through 'digital arrest' scam affected between September 3, 2025 and September 16, 2025.

Taking a serious view, the court then said, the fabrication of judicial orders bearing forged signatures of the judges strikes at the very foundation of the public trust in the judicial system besides the rule of law.

"Such action constituted direct assault on the dignity of the institution. Such grave criminal act cannot be treated as an ordinary or routine offence of cheating or cyber crime," the bench said.