New Delhi, Apr 29 (BNP): In a significant move against rising cyber fraud, WhatsApp has banned 9,400 accounts allegedly involved in “digital arrest” scams since January this year, the Central Government informed the Supreme Court.
The development was disclosed in a comprehensive status report filed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in compliance with the apex court’s directions to curb the growing menace of online fraud and digital extortion.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, which had taken suo motu cognisance of digital fraud cases, had earlier directed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and other agencies to frame a coordinated mechanism for victim compensation and preventive action.
According to the report, WhatsApp launched a structured multi-week investigation in January 2026 following concerns raised by I4C, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the DoT over scams targeting Indian users.
The investigation reportedly followed a rigorous methodology involving identification of suspicious signals, mapping scam networks, taking action against linked accounts, and deploying automated safeguards to prevent future abuse.
Authorities said the banned accounts were linked to fraudsters impersonating law enforcement agencies such as police, CBI, customs officials, and other government departments. Victims were allegedly threatened through calls and messages, falsely told they were under investigation, and coerced into transferring money to avoid arrest.
The Centre also informed the court that a multi-pronged strategy involving telecom regulators, service providers, banks, tech companies, and investigative agencies such as the CBI is being implemented to tackle such cybercrimes.
Officials urged citizens to remain alert and reminded the public that genuine law enforcement agencies do not demand payments or conduct arrests through messaging apps or video calls.
The crackdown is being seen as a major step in strengthening India’s response to increasingly sophisticated cross-platform cyber fraud operations.
