Cyber criminals are parasites: CJI Surya Kant calls for harsh stand on investment fraudsters

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a writ petition filed by an alleged cyber criminal accused of laundering investments, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant calling such fraudsters "parasites" who dupe innocent investors.

A Bench of CJI Kant and Justice V Mohana was hearing a writ petition filed by one Manoj Kumar Singh against the State of Bihar and others, when it made the sharp observations before dismissing the petition at the threshold.

"You all are parasites. You take money from investors and dupe them. We have to be harsh on cyber criminals. Society's interest is only that you are behind bars. Such crimes are always pan-India. Take money from someone in Gujarat, then Mumbai, and so on," the Court observed.

The Court found no case made out to entertain the writ petition and dismissed it, directing the petitioner to approach the High Court for relief.

Last November, a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi had barred all courts from granting bail to a group of men accused of defrauding a 72-year-old advocate of ₹3.29 crore through a digital arrest scam, describing the situation as one that demanded "unusual orders".

The Court has been seized of the broader cyber crime epidemic through a suo motu proceeding initiated in October 2025. The suo motu case arose from a complaint by a 73-year-old woman from Haryana's Ambala, who alleged that scammers used forged Supreme Court orders to confine her in a so-called digital arrest and extort over Rs one crore.

In December 2025, a Bench led by CJI Surya Kant directed the CBI to spearhead a nationwide investigation into digital arrest scams: a growing cyber-extortion racket in which fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials or judicial authorities to coerce victims into transferring money under threat of arrest.

The Court had also directed Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Haryana to grant consent for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probes and to ensure that they are not hindered by fragmented jurisdiction across states.

[Read Order]