CBI names 6 from Tamil Nadu in case related to online child sex abuse

The CBI, on Tuesday, carried out searches across the country after naming 83 accused, including 6 from Tamil Nadu, in 23 different cases on charges related to online child sex abuse and exploitation

The suspects from Tamil Nadu listed in the CBI FIR registered in Delhi are Dinesh Velayutham of Attumarrnkuttai; Sanniyasigundu, Salem district; Krishna M of Erikarai Korattur, Tiruvallur; Thangaraja Manickam from Nathappatti, Dindigul; Thomas Christopher of Samathuvapuram, Namakkal; Anbarasan N from Tiruvannamalai and Aadhithyan D Karamadai of Tirupur. 

The CBI had registered the cases on Monday and Tuesday and carried out searches in 76 locations across the country.

Apart from TN, raids were carried out in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, UP, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, MP, and HP.

A source said that information was received on a syndicate of individuals from different parts of India and foreign countries indulging in circulating, storing, and viewing Child Sexual Exploitation Material (CSEM) through various social media platforms and groups.

“Such people were disseminating CSEM by way of sharing links, videos, pictures, texts, posts and hosting of such content on social media groups (through a WhatsApp group named ‘Only Child Sex Videos’) and third-party storage and hosting platforms,” the CBI FIR stated.

Under the scanner are over 50 social media groups having more than 5,000 alleged offenders in countries like Pakistan, Canada, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, the US, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and the UK.