The Supreme Court had earlier taken suo motu notice of the rising number of digital arrest scams, many of which targeted retired people and cheated them out of their lifetime savings.
Published: July 29, 2026, 7:20 AM IST
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The Central government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it is considering bringing a new law during the ongoing Parliament session to make digital arrest scams and AI-generated deepfakes separate criminal offences. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the proposed law would clearly define these crimes and prescribe specific punishments for those found guilty. The assurance came during the Supreme Court’s hearing of a suo motu case on ways to tackle the growing number of digital arrest scams. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, observed that while courts have been taking a tough stand by denying bail to people accused in such scams, existing criminal laws do not specifically recognise “digital arrest” as an offence.
The bench suggested that the government should consider giving the crime a clear legal definition. It noted that digital arrest scams involve elements of extortion, cheating and organised crime, and asked whether a separate law with stricter penalties, including the power to freeze the assets of the accused, would be more effective.
Justice Joymalya Bagchi also remarked that only the government can introduce a dedicated law to deal with new-age digital frauds.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani informed the court that a high-level inter-departmental committee has already been working on measures to tackle the growing threat of digital arrest scams.
