In a major coordinated effort to dismantle the growing menace of “digital arrest” scams, the Union Government has informed the Supreme Court of a multi-pronged strategy involving telecom regulators, tech giants, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A comprehensive status report filed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) reveals that WhatsApp has already banned 9,400 accounts linked to these offences. Furthermore, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working toward a mechanism to block suspicious SIM cards within just two to three hours of identification.
The developments come in response to directions issued on February 9 by a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant. The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the rise in online frauds, specifically “digital arrests”—a tactic where scammers pose as law enforcement officials via video calls to confine victims to their homes under the pretext of an investigation, eventually extorting massive sums of money.
The court had previously directed the RBI, DoT, and other stakeholders to frame a compensation model for victims and establish a robust preventive framework.
The status report, filed through Attorney General R. Venkataramani, highlighted a dedicated investigation launched by WhatsApp in January 2026. The 12-week probe focused on identifying “seed signals” and mapping scam networks targeting Indian users.
Key enforcement innovations currently being deployed or contemplated by WhatsApp include:
- Logo Detection: Automated systems to identify and remove accounts using official police or government insignia in profile pictures.
- Caller Warnings: A proposed feature to alert users when receiving calls from “newly created” or “non-tenured” accounts.
- Visual Privacy: Automatically hiding profile pictures from suspicious unknown callers to prevent scammers from using visual cues of authority.
- SIM-Binding: A security mandate requiring a KYC-verified SIM card to be physically present in the device for the app to function. If the SIM is swapped or removed, the app will deactivate.
The CBI has now set a ₹10 crore loss threshold to take over “digital arrest” investigations. The agency has already re-registered three major cases, including a high-profile Delhi case where a single victim was defrauded of ₹22.92 crore, and two other cases involving massive financial frauds in Gujarat.
On the financial front, the RBI has finalised a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for banks. This allows for “temporary holds” on suspicious transactions to curb the activity of “money mules”—individuals who allow their bank accounts to be used to launder defrauded money.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has urged the top court to direct the DoT to expedite the rollout of the Biometric Identity Verification System (BIVS). This system, slated for implementation by December 2026, aims to provide national-level visibility and real-time monitoring of SIM card issuances.
An Inter-Departmental Committee, which held its third meeting on March 12, is also pushing for the “Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules” to ensure stricter verification.
The MHA has requested the Supreme Court to ensure that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) secures compliance from digital platforms like WhatsApp regarding the commitments made to the committee, particularly the time-bound implementation of SIM-binding mechanisms.
