The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday busted an internationally operating WhatsApp-based child pornography racket, which had 199 members from all over the world.
According to CBI, the racket was being operated from Delhi, Noida, and Uttar Pradesh.
The main WhatsApp group admin and kingpin, Nikhil Verma (20), has been arrested and the police have searched the premises of Verma and four other suspects — Satyendra Chauhan, Nafis Raza, Zahid, and Adarsh — in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
CBI is investigating whether the videos uploaded on the group were recorded by the admins or were sourced from elsewhere, and whether they were charging money for sharing the clips.
The group (called “KidsXXX”) had 199 members and included nationals from India and various other countries including US, Pakistan, Brazil, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, and New Zealand.
After receiving intelligence of the group, CBI tracked the IP addresses of the admins and kept a watch for sometime before carrying out the raids.
CBI has registered a case against the admins and members of the group under section 67-B of the IT Act and law enforcement of other countries involved have also been contacted. Identities of the victims are yet to be confirmed.
Police have seized laptops and hardware of the administrators where child pornographic content was found.
According to CBI, the racket was being operated from Delhi, Noida, and Uttar Pradesh.
The main WhatsApp group admin and kingpin, Nikhil Verma (20), has been arrested and the police have searched the premises of Verma and four other suspects — Satyendra Chauhan, Nafis Raza, Zahid, and Adarsh — in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
CBI is investigating whether the videos uploaded on the group were recorded by the admins or were sourced from elsewhere, and whether they were charging money for sharing the clips.
The group (called “KidsXXX”) had 199 members and included nationals from India and various other countries including US, Pakistan, Brazil, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, and New Zealand.
After receiving intelligence of the group, CBI tracked the IP addresses of the admins and kept a watch for sometime before carrying out the raids.
CBI has registered a case against the admins and members of the group under section 67-B of the IT Act and law enforcement of other countries involved have also been contacted. Identities of the victims are yet to be confirmed.
Police have seized laptops and hardware of the administrators where child pornographic content was found.