The Supreme Court on Wednesday likened cybercriminals to “parasites”, stating that people who cheat innocent citizens should be dealt with harshly as the best way to preserve the interest of society is to keep them in jail.
“You people are parasites,” a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said as it dealt with a petition filed by Manoj Kumar Singh, who is facing multiple cases of internet fraud in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir.
The bench, which also included Judge V Mohana, refused to accept Singh’s plea for consolidation and bail, and said: “You people are taking money from investors and cheating them. We have to be very tough on you. The interest of the society is there only when you are inside the jail and not outside it.”
The court noted the unique modus operandi followed by these accused who manage the crime in one area and then constantly change their base to avoid arrest. “You are hardened criminals whose victims are spread all over India. You cheat someone in Tamil Nadu and then go to Jammu.”
In his petition, Singh stated that he has multiple cases pending against him in different states, and he expects more cases to be filed against him in the future. Jammu Police and Tirupur Police in Tamil Nadu had registered cases against him for cheating in March this year.
The court headed by CJI Kant had in October 2025 taken suo motu cognizance of the digital arrest fraud cases and adopted a tough stand against online fraudsters who cheat gullible citizens, especially senior citizens, of their hard-earned savings by posing as law enforcement officers and issuing fabricated court orders.
In these proceedings, due to the court’s intervention, states and union territories have referred major cases of digital arrest fraud to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to facilitate deeper cross-country and inter-continental links of these organized syndicates. This matter is still pending in the Supreme Court to develop effective preventive steps involving banks, telecom service providers and social media platforms to warn citizens about these scams and recover the money transacted in the process.
