Centre tells Supreme Court of multi agency crackdown on digital arrest scams, 9400 WhatsApp accounts blocked, new safety tools, SIM and bank checks.
The Union government has informed the Supreme Court that a wide ranging crackdown involving multiple agencies is underway to deal with rising cases of digital arrest scams across the country. The action also includes the removal of 9,400 WhatsApp accounts linked to such frauds since January.
The update was placed before the court through a detailed status report filed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The report follows earlier directions issued by the Supreme Court on February 9, which had taken suo motu notice of online fraud cases, including digital arrests.
A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant had earlier asked key institutions, including the Reserve Bank of India, the Department of Telecommunications and other stakeholders, to work together on a framework to provide compensation in such cases.
WhatsApp Steps Up Crackdown On Scam Networks
According to the report, WhatsApp carried out a special investigation starting in January 2026 after concerns were raised by I4C, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications. The platform used a structured approach to track and remove scam networks operating in India. As a result, 9,400 accounts were blocked.
The report said WhatsApp is also introducing stronger safety tools. These include systems to detect and remove accounts that use police or government logos in profile images. It is also planning alerts for users when they receive calls from newly created accounts, which are often linked to scams. Another step under consideration is hiding profile photos of unknown callers to reduce misuse of identity.
Faster Action On Fraudulent SIM Cards
Telecom authorities and service providers have also agreed on faster action against fraudulent SIM cards. The goal is to block suspicious SIMs within two to three hours of detection.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has set a threshold of Rs 10 crore loss for taking up such cases. It has already re-registered three major investigations, including large fraud cases in Gujarat and Delhi, where one victim lost Rs 22.92 crore.
The report also mentioned a proposal for a Biometric Identity Verification System to track SIM issuance in real time. The Department of Telecommunications has been asked to implement it by December 2026.
