Asserting that technology has substantially altered the space of policing, President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said ‘digital arrest’ has become one of the most dreaded threats to citizens.
Addressing a group of probationers of the Indian Police Service (IPS), who called on her at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Murmu said people, especially the marginalised, should look at police as a source of support and not as a fearsome entity. “Law and order is a necessary pre-condition for attracting investment in any state or region. Effective policing is as important as economic incentives in promoting investment and growth,” she said.
Stating that technology has substantially altered the space of policing, Murmu said, “Just about 10 years ago, the expression ‘digital arrest’ would have been impossible to understand. Today, it is one of the most dreaded threats to citizens.”
Digital arrest is a scam aimed at extorting money from victims using fear, deceit and intimidation.
Fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials, using threats of arrest and freezing of bank accounts, among others, to force the victims into paying money as “fine” or sort of “security deposit” to avoid legal action.
SC mulls CBI probe into all digital arrest cases: The Supreme Court on Monday said it is inclined to entrust to the CBI the probe into digital arrest cases after taking into consideration the magnitude and pan-India spread of such crimes, and sought details of FIRs registered in different states and Union territories.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notices to all states and UTs on digital arrest cases.
The top court has taken cognisance of a glaring case of the so-called digital arrest of a senior citizen couple in Haryana’s Ambala on the basis of forged orders of the court and probe agencies by fraudsters to extort Rs 1.05 crore.
“Meanwhile, let notice be issued to all states and Union Territories through their standing counsel, returnable on November 3, 2025. The states and Union Territories are directed to furnish details of the cases of cyber arrest pending investigation in their respective jurisdiction. In this regard, they need not file any formal counter affidavit,” the bench ordered.
The top court noted the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the CBI, that cybercrime and digital arrest cases are originating from offshore locations like Myanmar and Thailand and directed the probe agency to come up with a plan to probe these cases.