NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court took serious note of the rising incidents of digital arrest across the country and sought a response from the government and CBI on Friday. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a case registered as suo motu after a senior citizen couple from Haryana’s Ambala was digitally arrested. The couple fell prey to crime based on forged orders of the court and probe agencies by fraudsters to extort Rs 1.05 crore.The apex court was hearing the matter after the 73-year-old woman wrote to Chief Justice of India BR Gavai.Kant and Bagchi noted that the forging of Supreme Court, high court orders, and signatures of judges to digitally arrest citizens strikes at the bottom of the trust and faith of people in judicial institutions.“The fabrication of judicial orders bearing forged signatures of judges strikes at the very foundation of the public trust in the judicial system besides the rule of law. Such action constituted direct assault on the dignity of the institution,” the top court said.It further added that such acts of crime cannot be treated as an ordinary or solitary offense of cheating or cybercrime.“We are also inclined to take judicial notice of the fact that the instance case is not the sole instance. It has been largely reported many times in the media that such crimes have taken place in different parts of the country. We are, therefore, of the view that action and coordinated efforts between the central and state police are required to unearth the full extent of the criminal enterprise involving forging judicial documents, extortion/robbery of innocent people most importantly the senior citizens,” the bench said.The top court also sought the assistance of the attorney general in the case. It also directed the state government and the Ambala cybercrime department to file a status report on the investigation done so far. The incident came to light after the complainant woman claimed that scamsters used a forged court order with a stamp, seal for arrest and surveillance of the couple between September 3 and 16. She also alleged that the people impersonating as CBI and ED officers showed them court orders through multiple audio and video calls.
