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IIT graduate working at tech firm arrested as child sexual predator in Telangana
Telangana Cyber Security Bureau arrests 15 online child sexual predators, including an IIT graduate, in a state-wide operation targeting repeat offenders.
The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau has arrested 15 people in a state-wide crackdown on online child sexual predators. Most of the arrested are educated men in their 20s, and one is an IIT graduate working at a software company, said an NDTV report.
Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau director Shikha Goel said the operation targetted repeat offenders. The arrested are accused of uploading, storing, and circulating nude and sexually explicit videos of minors.
The child sexual predators arrested in Telangana
One was an IIT graduate working at a reputed firm, another was an engineering graduate looking for a job. They have all been accused of uploading nude and sexually explicit videos of minor girls, aged between 6 and 14.
The majority of the victims appear to be from outside the country. “Most of the Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) appears to involve foreign individuals, with victims between 6 to 14 years of age. Ninety per cent of the content pertains to girls. All arrested accused have been sent to judicial remand,” Shikha Goel was quoted as saying by Telangana Today.
Goel also told NDTV that the arrested sexual predators appeared to be part of a single group sharing sexual material targetting minors.
"All of them appeared to be part of closed user groups sharing such material. Whether they are part of any organised gang or cartel is still under investigation,” she said.
How the accused were arrested
Arrests were made after a day-long operation that spanned the state. The 15 habitual offenders were linked to 57 cyber tipline complaints - they are all educated men from middle-class families, aged between 19 to 50.
After the operation, 34 FIRs were registered under various Sections of the Information Technology Act and the POCSO Act. The suspects were arrested in a coordinated effort across Hyderabad, Yadagirigutta, Karimnagar, Warangal, Jagtial, and Jagadgirigutta.
