New Delhi: In a significant move, the Supreme Court, on Monday, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to launch a nationwide probe into digital arrest scams through which fraudsters have looted crores from victims.

Observing that the issue warrants urgent intervention, the bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, instructed all state governments, including those led by opposition parties, to grant consent to the central agency for investigating digital arrest-related fraud cases.

“Digital arrest scams require immediate attention of the premier investigating agency of the country. Therefore, we proceed with a clear direction that the CBI shall first investigate cases on digital arrests scam. The other categories of scams shall be taken up in the next stages,” the Court ordered.

In digital arrest scams, scammers impersonate officials from probe agencies and police and contact victims via video or phone calls, falsely accusing them of crimes such as money laundering or illegal parcels. They claim the victim is under ‘digital arrest,’ restrict communication, and extort money by creating fear of immediate legal action.

The Court issued a set of directions to ensure an effective investigation and said that the CBI shall have a free hand to probe bankers under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in cases where bank accounts were opened and misused to facilitate the scam.

The bench also directed social media intermediaries to extend full cooperation to the CBI and instructed the agency to seek assistance from Interpol in cases involving cross-border dimensions, whenever required.

The Court also asked directed the Department of Telecommunications to submit a proposal on the large-scale misuse of SIM cards by telecom service providers, and called for proactive intervention from the Reserve Bank of India to explore the deployment of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to identify mule accounts, freeze illicit proceeds, and curb the spreading of fraud and the laundering of crime proceeds.

The court also directed all states to ensure the swift functioning of regional cybercrime units and instructed authorities to address operational impediments faced by cybercrime workers. It also emphasised the need for stronger institutional support for ground-level cybersecurity investigators.

The CBI will probe investment and part-time job scams in the next stage, the Court indicated.