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Supreme Court steps in on rising digital arrest scams, mulls CBI probe, issues notice to states
The Supreme Court asked CBI to respond whether it needs more resources, including cyber experts who are not in police force, to probe digital arrest cases.
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to all states and Union territories seeking details of first information reports (FIRs) registered in connection with digital arrest scams.
Digital arrest scams have been on the rise in the country, with people losing lakhs of rupees to fraudsters who falsely claim to be having authority to arrest individuals online.
Observing the “pan-India nature and magnitude” of such cybercrimes, the Supreme Court said it was inclined to hand over the investigation of all cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), news agency PTI reported.
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The Supreme Court noted that cyber crime and digital arrest cases are originating from off-shore locations, asking the CBI to come up with plan to probe these cases.
“We will monitor progress of CBI investigation, issue whatever directions necessary,” the Supreme Court said.
The top court asked CBI to respond whether it needs more resources, including cyber experts who are not in police force, to probe digital arrest cases.
Digital arrest refers to a deceptive tactic used by cybercriminals, who falsely claim to be belonging to agencies with authority to arrest an individual through digital means, often over the phone or via an online mode of communication.
In most digital arrest cases, targets of scammers receive a call which claims they are involved in illegal activities.
Scammers pose as law enforcement or regulatory officials and use threats or intimidation to pressurise the victims into transferring money or providing personal information, a method that exploits fear and confusion, taking advantage of the victim's panic to facilitate financial fraud.
