Deal with Digital Arrest Cases with an ‘Iron Hand’: Supreme Court of India
Introduction The Supreme Court of India has taken a firm stance against the rising menace of digital arrest scams — a new-age cybercrime in which fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials and extort money from citizens. The Court, while hearing a suo motu case initiated on the basis of a complaint by an elderly couple from Ambala, declared that such crimes must be dealt with an “iron hand.” The case underscores India’s growing vulnerability to sophisticated cyber-frauds exploiting digital communication platforms and the urgent need for coordinated national and international efforts to curb such offences. The Background: Rise of Digital Arrest Frauds The suo motu proceedings were initiated by the Supreme Court on October 17, 2024 , after receiving a letter from an elderly couple who lost over ₹1 crore in a scam where fraudsters pretended to be police officers and “digitally arrested” them through video calls. The scammers used fabricated visuals of courtrooms and fake offi...