Supreme Court hands over probe into ‘digital arrest’ scam to CBI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday handed over the investigation into the nationwide ‘digital arrest’ scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), granting the agency sweeping powers to probe what it described as a crime of alarming scale and sophistication. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said the CBI would be the first and primary agency to investigate all cases related to the scam, which involves fraudsters impersonating officials, coercing victims -- often senior citizens -- into digitally staged “arrests,” and extorting money. In a significant move, the court empowered the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) to examine the complicity of bankers who facilitated the opening of accounts used in these frauds.