The case is to be heard in the Supreme Court on May 12, where a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will consider the status report filed by the Home Ministry. This report presents a detailed action plan on four key areas (platform accountability, banking security, SIM traceability and legal framework for compensation to victims). This entire matter came into limelight when a 73-year-old woman from Ambala, Haryana complained that the swindlers defrauded her of more than Rs 1 crore by pretending to be CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) officers and showing fake court orders. After this, the court, taking suo motu cognizance, constituted an Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) in December.
WhatsApp’s proposed steps
According to the government, WhatsApp has also agreed that it will keep the data of deleted accounts safe for at least 180 days, so that the investigating agencies can help in gathering digital evidence. Apart from this, the platform has implemented features like logo-matching system to identify fake profiles, warning on suspicious messages, showing account age for unknown numbers and hiding profile photos in high-risk interactions. The government told the court that in the 12 weeks starting from January, WhatsApp took action against more than 9,400 such accounts which were linked to digital arrest scams. Investigation revealed that a large part of these scams are related to organized cyber gangs operating in South-East Asia, especially Cambodia. Thugs often scare people by using names and official logos like Delhi Police, CBI or ATS Department.
Strictness on banking and money trail
The status report also recommends implementing a SOP prepared by the Reserve Bank of India. Under this, temporary freeze on suspicious accounts (debit freeze), quick coordination between banks and priority system to return the fraudulent amount are included. The government wants this system to be implemented uniformly throughout the country. Along with this, clear guidelines have also been sought regarding the use of the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in money laundering cases, so that strict monitoring can be done on the transactions related to cyber fraud.
SIM Traceability and Biometric System
The government has sought instructions to the Department of Telecommunications to implement rules related to user identification and start a biometric verification system. With this, the process of issuing SIM cards can be monitored and the numbers used in fraud can be quickly tracked and stopped. However, experts have also expressed concern over this. He says that the biometric system can cause problems to those people whose fingerprints are not clear, and there is a possibility of its misuse.
Lack of compensation and increasing cases
The status report also states that there is currently no clear compensation framework for victims of cyber fraud. There was a 206% increase in such cases in 2024 and the total loss reached Rs 22,845 crore, while more than 22 lakh cases were reported. The government has appealed to the Law Ministry to seek a clear stand on this. This initiative of the Central Government is being considered a big step towards creating a coordinated and strict framework against emerging cyber crimes like digital arrest. However, along with this, the debate regarding privacy, regulatory process and civil rights has also intensified, which will decide the nature of this policy in the future.
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