The Central government has placed a comprehensive strategy before the Supreme Court of India to tackle the rapid rise of “digital arrest” scams, proposing a coordinated response across telecom, banking, and digital ecosystems. The report, submitted through the Attorney General after consultations with multiple stakeholders, seeks judicial directions to enforce uniform, time-bound safeguards by key regulators and ministries, including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Reserve Bank of India.
A major pillar of the proposal focuses on tightening telecom controls to prevent misuse of SIM cards, which are often central to such scams. The Centre has pushed for nationwide implementation of biometric SIM verification systems and stricter enforcement of user identification rules to ensure traceability. It has also called for stronger oversight of SIM vendors and faster blocking of suspicious numbers, along with real-time sharing of subscriber data with law enforcement agencies to enable quicker investigation and disruption of fraud networks.
On the digital platform side, the report places specific obligations on services like WhatsApp, urging the introduction of safeguards such as SIM-binding mechanisms, improved detection of long-duration scam calls, and systems to track and block devices linked to repeated fraudulent activity. It also recommends retaining deleted account data for at least 180 days and strengthening cooperation with enforcement agencies, including the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, to act swiftly on emerging scam patterns.
The banking sector forms another critical layer of the proposed response. The government has endorsed a standardised framework allowing temporary debit freezes on accounts suspected of being used for fraud, aiming to prevent rapid fund transfers that make recovery difficult. It has urged the court to mandate uniform implementation of such measures nationwide, highlighting that inconsistent rulings across different courts have weakened enforcement and delayed response times.
The report also identifies gaps in the current legal framework, particularly under the Information Technology Act 2000, and recommends strengthening adjudication mechanisms through a dedicated online system for handling cyber fraud complaints. It further proposes introducing civil liability for digital intermediaries in certain cases, signalling a move toward greater accountability for platforms that host or enable fraudulent activity.
Digital arrest scams, which rely on impersonation of law enforcement officials, threats of legal action, and psychological pressure through prolonged communication, have grown sharply in recent years. By seeking court-backed directives, the Centre is attempting to create a unified, enforceable system that brings telecom providers, financial institutions, digital platforms, and investigative agencies into a single coordinated framework to counter this evolving threat more effectively.
