General Provisions
(1) This Act may be called the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. (2) It came into force on a Central Government-notified date (1 July 2024). (3) Every person is liable to punishment under this Sanhita, and not otherwise, for every act or omission contrary to its provisions, committed within India. (4)-(5) A person liable under Indian law for an offence committed outside India is dealt with as if it were committed within India - this extends to Indian citizens anywhere, anyone on an Indian-registered ship/aircraft, and anyone abroad who targets a computer resource located in India. (6) This doesn't affect separate laws punishing mutiny/desertion by armed forces personnel, or other special/local laws.
This establishes the BNS as India's new general criminal code, replacing the Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860 from 1 July 2024. It clarifies that Indian criminal law can reach beyond India's borders in specific situations - covering Indian citizens who commit crimes abroad, and importantly, anyone anywhere in the world who commits a cyber offence targeting a computer system located in India.
This is why an overseas scammer - even one operating entirely from outside India - who runs a cyber fraud targeting victims' computers or accounts located in India can be prosecuted under Indian law, since this section extends the BNS's reach to offences targeting Indian computer resources regardless of where the offender is physically located.