On Monday, December 1, 2025, the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to spearhead a nationwide investigation into “digital arrest” scams, a growing cyber-extortion racket in which fraudsters impersonate law-enforcement officials or judicial authorities to coerce victims into transferring money under threat of arrest.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, acting on a suo motu case initiated in October, intervened after examining the magnitude of losses and the vulnerability of victims, particularly senior citizens, according to Bar and Bench.
The court recorded that multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) had surfaced across states after it first took judicial notice of the issue. It observed, “No sooner cognizance was taken, several victims have emerged, and impleadment applications have been filed. Pursuant to our earlier directions, it is revealed that several FIRs have been registered in different States.” Importantly, the judges noted that the targets were disproportionately elderly victims, stating, “The gravity and enormity of the crime can be judged by the fact that most of the States, in one voice, have stated that most of the time senior citizens have been targeted by the fraudsters by various means.”
These scams typically involve callers posing as officers from agencies such as the CBI, Intelligence Bureau (IB), or even the judiciary, who conduct video calls, exhibit forged court orders, and threaten arrest to force immediate payments.
The suo motu petition itself arose from a complaint by a senior-citizen couple who were defrauded of Rs 1.5 crore between September 1 and 16, after they were shown fabricated Supreme Court orders. More broadly, the Bench highlighted that cyber fraud, particularly through digital-arrest schemes, had already resulted in losses amounting to nearly Rs 3,000 crore nationwide.
CBI To Lead Investigations on Digital Arrests
Against this factual background, the Supreme Court designated the CBI as the lead agency for addressing digital-arrest scams. Emphasising the urgency of these offences, the Bench stated, “Digital arrests scams require immediate attention of the premier investigating agency of the country. Therefore, we proceed with a clear direction that CBI shall firstly investigate cases on digital arrests scam. The other categories of scams shall be taken up in the next stages.” The other categories highlighted by the court were investment scams and part-time job scams.
Furthermore, the court authorised the CBI to examine the involvement of banking institutions where financial channels may have enabled these crimes. It directed the agency to investigate bankers under the Prevention of Corruption Act wherever they are found to have been involved in opening mule accounts used in cybercrime cases.
The Bench also empowered the CBI to pursue international cooperation when investigations reveal cross-border…
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