Supreme Court Raises Alarm Over Increasing Digital Arrests, Seeks Government Response
Supreme Court expresses concern over forged court orders targeting citizens, including senior citizens, and calls for coordinated probe.
New Delhi, Oct 17: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed grave concern over the increasing instances of “digital arrests” in India, taking cognizance of a case where a senior citizen couple in Ambala, Haryana, was targeted by fraudsters using forged court and probe agency orders to extort Rs 1.05 crore.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi highlighted that such crimes, involving forgery of apex court and high court orders and judges’ signatures, strike at the very foundation of public trust in the judiciary. The court noted that these acts cannot be treated merely as ordinary cases of cheating or cybercrime.
The matter came to light after a 73-year-old woman wrote to the Chief Justice of India, B.R. Gavai, reporting that scammers impersonating CBI and ED officers had used fabricated court orders to harass the couple between September 3 and 16, attempting to defraud them through multiple bank transactions.
“The fabrication of judicial orders bearing forged signatures of judges constitutes a direct assault on the dignity of judicial institutions and undermines public faith in the rule of law,” the bench said.
The top court, registering the case suo motu, sought the response of the Centre and the CBI, and directed the Haryana government and Ambala cyber crime department to submit a status report on the investigation so far. It also called upon the Attorney General to assist in the matter and emphasized the need for coordinated action between central and state police to uncover the full extent of such criminal enterprises.
This incident is part of a growing trend of digital arrest frauds reported across the country, where scammers exploit forged legal documents to intimidate and extort citizens, particularly targeting vulnerable senior citizens.
Crime authorities have filed two FIRs under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhitya (BNS), and the Supreme Court has underscored the urgency of addressing this escalating threat.
