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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) connected Thursday (January 15, 2026) informed the Supreme Court that it had formed a high-level committee to analyse issues regarding digital apprehension scam cases.
Digital apprehension is simply a increasing signifier of cybercrime successful which fraudsters airs arsenic instrumentality enforcement, tribunal officials, oregon unit from authorities agencies to intimidate victims done audio and video calls. They clasp the victims hostage and enactment unit connected them to wage money.
Earlier successful December past year, the apex tribunal had asked the CBI to transportation retired a unified pan-India probe into integer apprehension scam cases. It had passed the directions successful a suo motu lawsuit registered connected the ailment of an aged mates from Haryana.
It had besides sought the views of assorted Union Ministries, including the MHA, connected however to woody with cybercrime cases. The MHA submitted that a high-level inter-departmental committee nether the chairmanship of the Special Secretary (internal security) had been constituted to comprehensively analyse integer apprehension cases.
It said the committee's mandate was to analyse real-time issues faced by enforcement agencies, see the amicus curiae's (friend of the court) recommendations and tribunal directions, place applicable legislations, rules, circulars and implementation gaps, suggest corrective measures and supply inputs for further directions.
According to the submissions, the members of the committee comprise officers from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Delhi Police and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
The MHA said that the main enforcement serviceman (CEO) of I4C would beryllium the committee's member-secretary. The committee would conscionable each 2 weeks, it added.
It said the archetypal gathering of the committee was held connected December 29, erstwhile the CBI suggested having a monetary threshold for cases.
According to the MHA, the MeitY emphasised during the gathering the request for strengthening and activating the adjudication mechanics nether the Information Technology Act provision. It said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) informed that the draught rules nether the Telecommunications Act, upon notification, would code concerns, including those regarding negligence successful issuance of SIM cards, aggregate SIM issuance to a azygous individual, and others.
The MHA said that I4C had informed that modular operating procedures (SOPs) for contiguous freezing, de-freezing, recovery, and restoration of wealth to victims were nether last consideration. Besides, the revamping of the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) and the 1930 helpline were being actively considered.
It said that the committee besides considered the amicus curiae's proposition for unfortunate compensation and agreed that specified alleviation could beryllium provided wherever the nonaccomplishment was attributable to negligence oregon determination existed a deficiency of work oregon fraud connected the portion of banks oregon telecom work providers.
The MHA said the committee observed that victims should not endure owed to systemic failures oregon regulatory non-compliance. It sought a period from the apex tribunal for further deliberation and inputs, pursuing which the substance was posted for further proceedings connected January 20.
