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Supreme Court orders CBI probe into digital arrest scams
01 Dec 2025

The Supreme Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate digital arrest scams across India.

The decision was taken by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

The court said these scams require the "immediate attention" of the country's top investigating agency, directing that they be prioritized in investigations.

CBI to probe bankers' role, RBI to assist
Investigation scope

The court has given the CBI full freedom to probe the role of bankers under the Prevention of Corruption Act in these cases.

It also directed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to help in examining whether artificial intelligence or machine learning tools can be used to detect suspicious accounts and freeze proceeds of crime.

Court seeks cooperation from IT service providers
IT collaboration

The Supreme Court has also directed information technology service providers to fully cooperate with the CBI in its investigation.

The court asked states such as Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Haryana to give consent for a pan-India probe by the CBI.

It raised concerns over the "large and alarming" issuance of multiple SIM cards in one name and ordered a model protocol to prevent misuse in telecom networks.

Court emphasizes focus on digital arrest scams
Case focus

CJI Kant clarified that the current proceedings will mainly focus on digital arrest scams, with other cybercrime categories to be considered later.

The court also directed the Union government to consider inputs from all stakeholder ministries and asked the Department of Telecommunications to remain present for the next hearing date.