Latest news with #ShikhaGoel
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
15 repeat offenders arrested in Telangana for circulating child porn; one is IIT graduate
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB)'s Child Protection Unit (CPU) arrested 15 men on Wednesday for repeatedly watching, saving, and sharing child sexual abuse material (CSEAM). The arrests happened in a single-day of the arrested is a 30-year-old software engineer who graduated from IIT-Kharagpur. He works at a Hyderabad-based company and reportedly earns ₹35 lakh a year. He lives with his wife and daughter. Another arrested man is an unemployed engineering graduate from Yadagirigutta who had been caught earlier in a similar TGCSB said that all the men were previously linked to 34 earlier cases of child abuse material, including 17 directly handled by the bureau. This latest action was based on 57 complaints passed on by Interpol through the Union Home arrested men are between 19 and 50 years old, mostly in their 20s, and come from middle-class families. They work in different fields like software, construction, auto repair, and sales. All of them are now in judicial Director Shikha Goel said the disturbing content showed children between 6 and 14 years of age. The men were charged under the IT Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.[With TOI inputs]
Mint
15 hours ago
- Mint
IIT graduate, 14 others, arrested for possession of child pornography in Telangana
Telangana's Cyber Security Bureau has arrested 15 people, including an IIT graduate, in a coordinated crackdown targeting online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to a Hindustan Times report, most suspects are well-educated men in their 20s, hailing from middle-class families. Telangana State Cyber Security Bureau director Shikha Goel said the operation focused on repeat offenders involved in uploading, storing, and disseminating nude and sexually explicit content involving minors aged 6 to 14. Notably, at least one suspect holds an IIT degree and works at a reputed tech firm, while another is an engineering graduate currently job-seeking. 'Most of the content originates from foreign victims, predominantly girls aged between 6 and 14, with 90% of material involving female children,' Goel told the Telangana Today. All arrested individuals have since been remanded by a court. Shikha Goel told NDTV that the accused appeared to be part of a single group sharing sexual material targeting 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. Goel also revealed that the suspects likely operated through closed user groups, distributing illicit content as part of a collective network. Investigators are still determining whether these groups are part of larger organised gangs or criminal cartels. The operation unfolded during a one-day, state-wide sweep informed by 57 cyber tip-line complaints. Law enforcement teams across Hyderabad, Yadagirigutta, Karimnagar, Warangal, and Jagtial executed the coordinated arrests. Following the operation, 34 FIRs were registered under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act and the POCSO Act. According to media reports, the accused are under judicial custody.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Even browsing such content is a crime': IIT-Kharagpur graduate, 14 others held in Telangana for circulating child abuse content; all repeat offenders
Telangana's Cyber Security Bureau has arrested 15 individuals, including an IIT graduate, for involvement in child sexual exploitation content. The arrests, part of a larger crackdown initiated in February 2025, targeted repeat offenders identified through Interpol tiplines. HYDERABAD: In a major crackdown on child sexual exploitation content, the child protection unit (CPU) of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has arrested 15 repeat offenders for watching, storing, and distributing Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). Among the arrested is a 30-year-old IIT-Kharagpur graduate employed at a Hyderabad-based software firm. All the accused are currently in judicial custody. The child protection unit was set up in Feb 2025 by chief minister A Revanth Reddy to monitor and curb digital circulation of CSEAM. Since its inception, 294 cases have been registered, and 110 offenders arrested across the state. The latest operation, conducted on Wednesday, targeted individuals linked to 57 CSEAM complaints flagged by Interpol tiplines and routed through the ministry of home affairs. Offenders from Hyderabad, Jagadgirigutta (Cyberabad), Yadagirigutta (Rachakonda), Karimnagar, Warangal, and Jagtial were identified and arrested. 'All 15 were picked up in a single-day operation. These are repeat offenders linked to 34 previous cases, including 17 registered directly by TGCSB,' said TGCSB director Shikha Goel. Among the accused, the IIT graduate reportedly earns Rs 35 lakh per annum and resides in Hyderabad with his wife and daughter. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like When Knee Pain Hits, Start Eating These Foods, and Feel Your Pain Go Away (It's Genius) Read More Undo Another accused is an unemployed engineering graduate from Yadagirigutta with a prior CSEAM case. Others work in varied occupations, including automobile repair, construction, and retail sales. 'The accused are aged between 19 and 50, mostly in their twenties, and largely from middle-class backgrounds. The children in the content appear to be aged between 6 and 14 years, and 90% are girls, mostly from other countries,' Goel added. The accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. TGCSB serves as the state's nodal agency for handling complaints related to CSEAM, including child pornography and sexual violence cases, received through platforms such as the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), cyber tiplines, and the case management tools of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The child protection unit also conducts surveillance across social media, as well as cyber patrolling on the dark and deep web. 'In one case, we were able to rescue a child victim from Suryapet who appeared in CSEAM material. Identifying a victim from tipline data is extremely rare, but our team succeeded. Let it be clear that browsing such content is a punishable offence. We are monitoring all such activity, and action will be swift and strict,' Goel said. Officials said the offenders accessed the content through closed social media groups or the dark web, in some cases by paying for it. Police will seek custody of the accused to trace the networks.
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
IIT graduate working at tech firm arrested as child sexual predator in Telangana
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. 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. 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.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
IIT graduate among 15 held for watching, circulating child porn
Representative Image HYDERABAD: Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB)'s child protection unit (CPU) on Wednesday arrested 15 repeat offenders for watching, storing, and distributing Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM). Among the arrested is a 30-year-old IIT-Kharagpur graduate employed at a Hyderabad-based software firm, reports Mahesh Buddi. The accused were booked under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. All of them are currently in judicial custody. The operation targeted individuals linked to 57 CSEAM complaints flagged by Interpol tip lines and routed through the Union home ministry. "All 15 were picked up in a single-day operation. These are repeat offenders linked to 34 previous cases, including 17 registered directly by TGCSB," said TGCSB director Shikha Goel. Among the accused, the IIT graduate allegedly earns Rs 35 lakh per annum and resides in Hyderabad with his wife and daughter. Another accused is an unemployed engineering graduate from Yadagirigutta with a prior CSEAM case. Others work in varied occupations, including automobile repair, construction, and retail sales. "The accused are aged between 19 and 50, mostly in their twenties, and largely from middle-class backgrounds. The children in the content appear to be aged between 6 and 14 years," Goel added.
