The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over the rising instances of "digital arrest" scams in the country, seeking a response from the central government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi flagged the issue, taking suo motu cognizance of the matter following a complaint from a 73-year-old woman from Ambala, Haryana. The woman alleged that fraudsters extorted ₹1.05 crore from her and her husband by using forged orders purportedly issued by the Supreme Court.
The court noted with concern that these scams often target vulnerable senior citizens, with criminals impersonating law enforcement officers, intelligence officials, or even judges to coerce and extort money. The fraudsters fabricate judicial orders bearing forged signatures of judges to create an illusion of legal authority.
The Supreme Court has initiated a suo motu case titled “In Re: Victims of Digital Arrest Related to Forged Documents”. The court observed that the "forgery of documents and the criminal misuse of the name, seal and judicial authority of this court or High Court is a matter of grave concern". It further stated that the fabrication of judicial orders undermines public trust in the judicial system and the rule of law, constituting a direct assault on the dignity of the institution. The court emphasized that such criminal acts cannot be treated as ordinary cases of cheating or cybercrime.
The court has sought the assistance of the Attorney General and directed the Haryana government and Ambala cyber crime department to file a status report on the investigation into the case of the senior citizen couple. The bench has also issued notices to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the CBI Director, Haryana government and Superintendent of Police, Ambala to consider what steps could be taken to curb these crimes.
The Supreme Court will assess the capability of state police to handle these nationwide rackets and consider judicial monitoring for swift investigations. The court is also considering whether the probe requires to be entrusted to central probe agencies equipped to make a country-wide probe.
The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) recorded 2,746 cases of digital arrest between January and August 2024, which nearly doubled to 4,439 cases during the same period in 2025. Official statistics reveal that scammers extorted nearly Rs 25 billion from citizens through 'digital arrest'. Authorities have been issuing advisories, alerting citizens to the fraud and advising them to report such incidents to the police. Government agencies have blocked over 1,700 Skype IDs and 59,000 WhatsApp accounts used in these scams.
