Kerala: 28 held, 370 cases registered in police's crackdown on child pornography

In a major crackdown on those involved in child pornography, the Kerala Police has arrested 28 persons and registered 370 cases after a state-wide raid conducted against the viewing and sharing of objectionable content related to children.

"The raid, dubbed as Operation P-Hunt 21.1, was conducted across the state in which 370 cases were registered. A 310-member team led by district police chiefs launched the raid," Cyber Dome Nodal Officer ADGP Manoj Abraham said after the operation on Sunday.

Simultaneous inspections were conducted at 477 centres in the state. A total of 429 electronic devices, including mobile phones, modems, hard disks, memory cards, laptops and computers, were seized during the raid. According to the police, many devices contained nude pictures and videos of children between the ages of five and 16.

"Many of those arrested are young people with high-paying jobs, including in the IT sector. With the help of modern technology, they sent and received footages. Examining the chats received from the devices, it is suspected that many are involved in child trafficking. Several Telegram and WhatsApp groups were also found during the raid that shared child pornography," said Abraham.

He added that during the raid police also found links from phones that offer child pornography live for a fee.

The state-wide raid was carried out following observations led by the Cyber Dome and the Counter-Child Sexual Exploitation Center.

Under current law, viewing, collecting and distributing child pornography is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh.

Cyber Dome Nodal Officer said those who are aware of groups and channels carrying out such activities should inform the police as soon as possible.

(ANI)

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