With Cybercrime Touching Alarming Levels, CBI Needs To Reorient Its Approach Further: CJI Kant

With commission of cybercrime touching alarming proportions in this digital age, challenge today is no longer confined to traditional model of investigation where action follows occurrence but a reorientation of approach where responses are not only reactive but proactive, not only procedural but strategic, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has said.CJI Kant was delivering the 22nd D P Kohli (CBI’s Founder Director) memorial lecture organised by the CBI on the topic 'Challenges Of Cybercrime: Role Of Police And Judiciary' at Bharat Mandapam."The question is no longer simply how effectively an offence can be investigated after it has been committed, but how swiftly and intelligently systems can respond while the offence is still unfolding. This

calls for a reorientation of approach, where institutional responses are not only reactive but proactive, not only procedural but strategic. It also requires a shared sense of purpose across agencies, so that the response to cybercrime is not fragmented or episodic, but cohesive and sustained. In this lies the true measure of institutional readiness in the digital age," CJI Kant said.

Capacity Building

CJI said for this the first imperative is capacity building. "Cybercrime demands expertise that goes beyond conventional policing. It requires proficiency in digital forensics, recovering and analysing data from devices, networks, and cloud systems. It requires financial intelligence, the ability to trace complex transaction chains across jurisdictions and platforms. It requires cyber intelligence, monitoring patterns, identifying emerging threats, and pre-empting large-scale operations. This, in turn, necessitates continuous training, investment in technology, and institutional flexibility."

Collaboration

He said the second imperative is collaboration. "The fight against cybercrime cannot be siloed. It must involve coordinated engagement with financial institutions, technology companies, regulatory bodies, and international counterparts. Information must flow not as an exception, but as a norm. Equally, given the inherently transnational character of these offences, investigative agencies must cultivate greater expertise in conducting cross-border inquiries. Meaningful engagement with foreign law enforcement counterparts is essential, not only for tracking illicit financial flows but also for securing admissible evidence across jurisdictions. Public-private partnerships assume particular importance in this regard. Much of the infrastructure through which cybercrime operates, and through which it can be detected, is privately owned. Harnessing this capacity requires trust, clarity of roles, and a shared commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the digital ecosystem," he said.

Technology-led Governance

The CJI said third imperative is technology-led governance. "Advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning must be leveraged to detect anomalies, identify networks, and predict vulnerabilities. At the same time, safeguards must ensure that such technologies are deployed in a manner that respects rights and preserves accountability," the CJI added.

Cybercrime Data

CJI said among the most significant manifestations of this evolving threat are certain recurring forms of cybercrime that have acquired alarming prevalence namely, Investment Frauds promising unrealistic returns, predatory loan application scams that exploit financial vulnerability, Cryptocurrency related frauds leveraging opacity and anonymity, and, perhaps most disturbing of all, so-called "digital arrest" scams, where individuals are psychologically coerced into compliance through fabricated claims of legal authority.He said over the past year, I believe nearly 28 lakh cybercrime complaints have been registered, an astronomical figure that now constitutes almost half of all reported offences.In the span of just two years, 2024 and 2025, he said citizens have collectively lost close to ₹44,000 crore to cyber fraud. "The scale of this threat becomes even more stark when we consider that, since 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs has recorded over 2,41,000 complaints relating specifically to so-called 'digital arrest' scams alone, involving losses of approximately ₹30,000 crore. This is not merely a domestic concern. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has observed that nearly 15 per cent of the Page 5 of 26 adult population globally has been exposed to, or fallen victim to, cybercrime attempts. What is perhaps most disquieting is the fact that barely 10 per cent of the defrauded amount could be traced or recovered," the Chief Justice added