WhatsApp disables 9,400 accounts linked to digital arrest scams, govt tells Supreme Court

A comprehensive initiative involving telecom regulators and service providers, the RBI, technology companies, and the CBI has been launched to combat the surge in digital arrest scams. As part of the initiative, WhatsApp has disabled 9,400 accounts linked to these crimes, the government informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

These efforts were outlined by the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C). The status report follows the Supreme Court’s 9 February mandate to suppress the rising number of digital arrest incidents nationwide, according to sources.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, which took suo motu cognisance of online fraud, had previously ordered the RBI, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and other bodies to establish a framework for compensating victims of such scams.

Filed through Attorney General R Venkataramani, the new report details the enforcement steps WhatsApp has taken over the past 12 weeks.

"In direct response to concerns raised by I4C, MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) and DoT, WhatsApp in January 2026 launched a structured, multi-week dedicated investigation specifically focused on digital arrest scams targeting Indian users. This investigation followed a rigorous methodology: identify seed signals map networks enforce against the entire network build scaled automated defences," it said, adding 9,400 accounts have been banned due to alleged involvement in digital arrests.

‘Enforcement innovations’ to bolster user safety

To bolster user safety, WhatsApp is implementing "enforcement innovations," such as logo detection systems designed to identify and purge accounts using government or police insignia in profile photos.

The report noted that WhatsApp is also considering a feature to alert users about calls from "newly created" accounts, a typical scammer trait. Additionally, the platform plans to automatically hide profile pictures of suspicious and unknown callers to strip scammers of visual authority cues.

The DoT and telecom providers have pledged to rapidly neutralise fraudulent SIM cards, with a committee developing a mechanism to block suspicious numbers within two to three hours of detection.

According to the report, the CBI has established a ₹10 crore loss threshold for taking over digital arrest probes. The agency has already re-registered three significant cases, including two from Gujarat and a Delhi case where a victim lost ₹22.92 crore.

A high-level Inter-Departmental Committee met on 12 March, uniting telecom operators, financial regulators, and digital platforms. A major proposal includes a Biometric Identity Verification System (BIVS) to facilitate real-time, cross-network monitoring of SIM card distribution.

The DoT would deploy this system by December 2026, the report noted. It also stated that WhatsApp has pledged to adopt various protections, such as rolling out SIM-binding protocols within a four to six-month window.

SIM binding is a security requirement that ensures the active, KYC-authenticated SIM card remains physically inside the device for the application to operate. Should the SIM be pulled, exchanged or deactivated, the app will immediately cease functioning.

RBI establishes SOP for banks

The report states that the RBI has established a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) instructing banking institutions to freeze suspicious transactions temporarily to prevent money mule operations.

Presenting this report to the apex court, the MHA requested formal directives for the DoT to execute measures determined by the Inter-Departmental Committee. This involves ensuring telecom provider compliance and accelerating the rollout of the "Telecommunications (User Identification) Rules" and the Biometric Identity Verification System (BIVS) to provide nationwide oversight of SIM distribution.

The Ministry further requested a specialised mechanism to ensure the rapid deactivation of fraudulent or suspicious SIM cards linked to cybercrimes, specifically targeting digital arrest fraud.