WhatsApp has banned 9,400 accounts linked to digital arrest scams in India, according to a status report submitted to the Supreme Court by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The update comes as the court continues to examine cases involving impersonation of law enforcement agencies, forged documents and coercive digital tactics used to defraud individuals.
The crackdown is part of a broader enforcement effort that began in January 2026, when WhatsApp initiated a multi week investigation into scam networks targeting Indian users. The action followed inputs from the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, MeitY and the Department of Telecommunications, and expanded beyond accounts initially flagged by authorities.
The report indicates that responses to such scams are now moving beyond account takedowns. Telecom operators, digital platforms and financial regulators are implementing measures such as faster SIM blocking, biometric verification and platform level safeguards. WhatsApp has also indicated that it is working on SIM binding to strengthen account security.
Attorney General R Venkatramani, representing the Ministry of Home Affairs, told the Supreme Court, “Telecom operators, digital platforms and financial regulators have begun implementing a series of measures to tackle digital arrest scams, including faster SIM blocking, biometric verification systems and platform level safeguards by WhatsApp.”
The report also highlights the organised and cross border nature of these scams. Several networks targeting Indian users are said to operate from Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia, using repeated account patterns, shared media assets and coordinated activity. WhatsApp has deployed tools such as logo detection, AI based impersonation checks and database matching to identify and act against such networks.
WhatsApp, in its investigation note, stated, “This investigation followed a rigorous methodology: identify seed signals, map networks, enforce against the entire network and build scaled automated defences. 9,400 accounts banned for digital arrest or law enforcement impersonation.”
The company further noted, “Out of around 3,800 scam related accounts flagged under Section 79 IT Act takedown requests, only 17 related to digital arrest scams, but its investigation mapped entire networks and led to 9,400 account bans.”
The submission also recorded that, “A communication by WhatsApp to the Inter Departmental Committee constituted pursuant to the Court’s order states that it banned 9400 accounts as part of a targeted probe to curb digital arrest scams.”
The proceedings before the Supreme Court indicate that digital arrest scams are now being treated as a systemic cybercrime issue. The bench has directed agencies including the RBI and the Department of Telecommunications to explore response frameworks, while the CBI is conducting a separate investigation into the larger network.
