SC welcomes Tamil Nadu govt’s move of arresting cyber criminals under Goondas Act
The Supreme Court has lauded Tamil Nadu for taking action against cybercrime offenders under the preventive detention law.
“This is a good trend that preventive detention laws are being used against cybercrime offenders. It’s a very welcome approach,” remarked a Bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Joymala Bagchi, adding that the ordinary criminal laws were not proving “successful” to deter cybercriminals.
The Justice Mehta-led Bench was hearing a special leave petition(SLP) filed by the father of a detenue, suspected to be one of the members of the cyber crime gang, against the detention order.
Earlier, the Madras High Court had dismissed the habeas corpus writ petition, rejecting the contention that the detention order violated Article 22(5) of the Indian Constitution as well as the procedures laid out under the preventive detention law.
The Tamil Nadu Cyber Police arrested the petitioner’s son after a complaint was filed by a cybercrime victim alleging that she had been duped of a sum of Rs 84,50,000, and a part of the crime money had gone into his current account maintained in the name of M/s Creative Craft.
In the course of the investigation, it has come to light that the accused had created four companies in his name and his family members’ names and opened multiple bank accounts to siphon off the cheated money.