The Supreme Court raised alarm over growing digital arrest scams, noting even educated individuals are being cheated. CJI highlighted a case where an elderly woman lost her entire retirement savings, calling the trend deeply concerning.
The Supreme Court of India will hear next week a suo motu case on rising digital arrest fraud, where scammers impersonate officials to extort victims. The Court earlier asked the Centre, Reserve Bank of India, banks and Department of Telecommunications to frame SOPs.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said he was shocked to learn that cyber crimes have siphoned off thousands of crores of rupees from senior citizens across India. He stressed the urgent need for judicial training to tackle modern cyber offences like digital arrest and online extortion.
The Supreme Court has ordered the CBI to urgently investigate digital arrest scams targeting citizens, especially senior citizens. Authorities including RBI and telecom departments have been directed to assist in preventing further frauds.
MobiKwik suffered a major Rs 40 crore fraud due to a technical flaw, allowing over five lakh fake transactions. Six people have been arrested, and authorities have frozen Rs 8 crore while the company recovered Rs 14 crore.
