India’s Supreme Court tightens rules to curb ‘digital arrest’ scams. Inside the instructions
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The Supreme Court of India directed the RBI to frame SOPs for mule accounts and ordered nationwide adoption of e-Zero FIRs and victim compensation frameworks to tackle escalating digital arrest scams.
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday (Aug 4) issued a fresh set of directions to strengthen the country’s response to the growing menace of “digital arrest” scams, asking the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to frame a standard operating procedure (SOP) for handling mule bank accounts and directing authorities to improve cyber fraud investigations, victim compensation and money recovery mechanisms.
The directions were issued by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant while hearing a suo motu case monitoring the rise in digital arrest frauds, in which fraudsters impersonate police officers, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, judges and other government functionaries to extort money through prolonged video calls and psychological intimidation.
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The bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, passed the directions after considering the fourth status report submitted by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Home Ministry, along with submissions by Attorney General R Venkataramani and senior advocate NS Nappinai, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae.
Among the key directions, the apex court asked the RBI to formulate, within four weeks, an SOP for dealing with mule bank accounts that are used to launder proceeds of cyber fraud. It also directed all states to operationalise cyber fraud grievance redressal and money restoration systems to ensure victims receive timely assistance.
The court further called for the nationwide adoption of the e-Zero FIR mechanism to enable faster registration of cyber crime complaints. It also asked the Centre to examine the feasibility of introducing a shared liability and victim compensation framework for people who fall prey to digital arrest scams.
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The directions aim to address systemic gaps in cyber fraud investigations, accelerate the restoration of victims’ funds, and strengthen preventive measures against increasingly sophisticated online scams.
