New Delhi – The Supreme Court on Friday took serious note of the digital arrest of a senior citizen couple in Haryana's Ambala on the basis of forged orders of the court and probe agencies by fraudsters to extort Rs 1.05 crore.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi flagged the rising number of digital arrest cases across the country and sought the response of the Centre, CBI in a case registered as suo motu after the 73-year-old woman wrote to Chief Justice of India B R Gavai.

The bench said forging apex court, high court orders, signatures of judges to digitally arrest innocent people, including senior citizens, strikes at the bottom of 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 added that such a grave criminal act cannot be treated as an ordinary or solitary offence of cheating or cyber crime.

“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.

It sought assistance of the Attorney General and directed the Haryana government and Ambala cyber crime department to file a status report on the probe done so far in the case of senior citizen couple.

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