WhatsApp Bans Over 9,400 Accounts Tied to Digital Arrest Scams
In a significant update submitted to the Supreme Court, the Union government has revealed that a coordinated multi-agency effort is actively underway to combat the surge in digital arrest scams plaguing the country. As part of this drive, WhatsApp has blocked 9,400 accounts linked to these fraudulent operations since January this year.
The development was detailed in a status report filed by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The submission comes in response to the Supreme Court’s earlier directions following its suo motu cognisance of rising online fraud cases, including those involving digital arrests.
On February 9, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant had called upon key stakeholders, such as the Reserve Bank of India and the Department of Telecommunications, to collaborate on establishing a framework for victim compensation in such matters.
According to the report, WhatsApp initiated a targeted investigation in January 2026 after concerns were flagged by the I4C, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Department of Telecommunications. The messaging platform adopted a systematic method to identify and dismantle scam networks operating across India, resulting in the removal of the 9,400 accounts.
WhatsApp is also rolling out enhanced safety features to curb misuse. These include mechanisms to detect and suspend accounts that use police or government logos as profile pictures. The company is further exploring options to issue alerts when users receive calls from newly created accounts—often exploited by scammers—and to conceal profile photos of unknown callers, thereby limiting identity misuse.
On the telecom front, authorities and service providers have agreed to expedite action against fraudulent SIM cards, aiming to block suspicious ones within two to three hours of identification.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has set a threshold of Rs 10 crore in losses for registering such cases and has already re-registered three major investigations, including substantial frauds reported in Gujarat and Delhi. In one Delhi case, a victim reportedly suffered a loss of Rs 22.92 crore.
Among the proposed measures is the introduction of a Biometric Identity Verification System to enable real-time monitoring of SIM issuance. The Department of Telecommunications has been directed to implement this by December 2026.
Separately, the Reserve Bank of India has formulated guidelines directing banks to temporarily freeze suspicious transactions to prevent money laundering.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has urged the Supreme Court to take note of these steps and issue appropriate directions to ensure swift execution of the proposed initiatives across all concerned agencies.