SIM-binding for WhatsApp can curb digital arrest scams: Centre tells Supreme Court

The Department of Telecommunications of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has informed the Supreme Court that it has issued directions to implement SIM-binding for platforms like WhatsApp, in an effort to curb digital arrest scams.

The Central government made a statement to this effect in its status report filed in the suo motu case initiated by the Supreme Court in October 2025 to address the growing menace of digital arrest scams across the country. 

During Monday's hearing of the matter, a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was informed that an inter-departmental committee has been set up by the Centre to consider the issue.

The status report submitted by the Centre said that the committee had met twice and that its discussion with the DoT focused extensively on the vulnerabilities in SIM issuance and management, which are being exploited in digital arrest scams.

The committee discussed the issues flagged by the amicus curiae in the matter Senior Advocate NS Nappinai, who was also present in the meetings.

The report states that misuse of OTT communication platforms, particularly WhatsApp, was identified as a major vector for digital arrest scams. This issue, the DoT said, can be addressed through SIM-binding.

Nappinai requested that further details be provided in writing. She also reiterated that the effectiveness of such a move must be assessed based on ground-level enforcement and continued protection against fraud.

The committee discussed existing legal and technical constraints and was informed that the Telecommunications Act, 2023, now permits biometric verification. The DoT stated that rules for the same are in the final stage of being drafted with public consultation having concluded. These rules are intended to address SIM issuance issues prospectively.

After Nappinai stressed that solutions must also address existing and new SIM issuances, the DoT said that it would revert on the suggestions and recommendations made by the Senior Advocate in this regard.

The DoT detailed technological interventions undertaken to curb spoofed calls, including deployment of systems at international gateways to block calls originating from foreign locations but displaying Indian numbers. According to the report, the Central International Out Roamer (CIOR), mechanism which was introduced in October 2024, blocked approximately 1.35 crore calls in October 2024. The number of such calls has since reduced to approximately 1.5 lakh, the report states.

With respect to corporate and bulk SIM connections, DoT representatives told the committee that misuse through corporate SIMs is relatively limited and often involves shell entities or insider collusion, which are matters for criminal investigation.

Regarding daily limit on issuance of SIM cards, the representative of DOT informed the committee that a total of 3 SIMs can be issued in a day by a telecom service provider (TSP) - 1 through eKYC and 2 through D-KYC. However, it acknowledged that at present, there is no cross TSP visibility or any mechanism to ensure the same. As per the status report, the DoT also assured the committee that it would explore remedial measures, including technological and systemic controls.

With regard to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), the committee was told that since these calls are routed through platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, they fall outside the purview of the DoT as they are intermediaries under Information Technology Act, 2000. However, Nappinai emphasised that VOIP services are also provided by Telecom Service Providers and those services are also misused. She urged that those issues also be looked into.

The suo motu case was registered after a senior citizen couple wrote to the Supreme Court stating that they were defrauded of ₹1.5 crore between September 1 and 16 by scammers impersonating as officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Intelligence Bureau and the judiciary.

On Monday, the Court was told that the CBI has identified ₹10 crore as the amount amassed through digital arrest scams. On the preventive side, banks are now using artificial intelligence (AI) assistance to detect such fraudulent transactions, it was submitted.

Notably, the Court was told that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a standard operating protocol (SOP) have also been drawn up as part of measures on how to deal with such digital arrest cases.

In light of the same, the Court issued directions for the swift implementation of these measures.