New Delhi, 28 October (H.S.): The Supreme Court has stressed the need for stringent action against individuals involved in extorting money through so-called digital arrest scams, describing such cybercrimes as a form of “digital robbery”. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant underscored the seriousness of these offences and called for a firm response against those responsible.

Chief Justice Surya Kant expressed concern that organised cybercrime syndicates were specifically targeting elderly and retired individuals, depriving them of their hard-earned life savings. He observed that, if the law provided any provision or scope for punishing these “ruthless criminals” even before the conclusion of their trials, such measures should also be considered.

The court dismissed a petition filed by two accused, Gaurab Kumar Saha and Nidhi Bhandari, seeking the transfer to Delhi of 35 criminal cases registered against them across 12 states.

The Supreme Court observed that the accused could not compel victims from different parts of the country to travel to Delhi merely for their own convenience. It emphasised that the convenience of the accused could not take precedence over the rights and interests of victims and investigating agencies.

Following the Bench’s firm observations, counsel for the petitioners sought permission to withdraw the plea.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar