Cyber crimes eroding people’s trust in online transactions, says Delhi HC

NEW DELHI: Cyber crimes not only breach individual trust but also have far-reaching consequences that reverberate through the economic landscape of the country, the Delhi High Court observed, while highlighting that the diminishing trust of the people in online financial transaction platforms is against the aspirations of an ‘advanced Digital Bharat’.

The court was hearing the bail plea of an accused who was charged with extortion and defrauding people using mobile applications.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that the modus operandi employed by cyber criminals changes and evolves every day, saying sensitized to the plight of unsuspecting individuals who fall victim to deceptive mobile applications, the courts have the responsibility to address the grievances of those who, in their pursuit of technology, end up being defrauded of their hard-earned money.

It was noted that the conspiracy in the present case must have attracted thousands of investors as the money trail to date, prima facie, is of about Rs 140 crore. “The case in hand serves as an illustration of how cyber crimes are taking place in the present digital age wherein the accused through a clickbait link allure people to install an application in their mobile phones and then based on this allurement, the cyber illiterate common citizens download them,” the court said.

“The bait of getting them short-term loans on a click of a button and defrauding them of their hard-earned money is nowadays common and the cyber illiteracy of common citizens is being taken advantage of by such accused, as prima facie in the present case,” the order said.