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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]
Time of India
20 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.
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.
United News of India
a day ago
- United News of India
Telangana Cyber Security arrests 15 repeat offenders for online child sexual abuse material
Hyderabad, June 19 (UNI) In a major crackdown on repeat offenders involved in cases of Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM), the Child Protection Unit (CPU) of the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB), has arrested 15 individuals across various districts in Telangana during a statewide special operation. Presenting highlights of the Special Operation at a press conference here today, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) Director Shikha Goel said this meticulously planned operation targeted repeat offenders involved in uploading, storing, and circulating nude and sexually explicit videos of minors. A total of 15 individuals were arrested, all identified as habitual offenders linked to 57 cyber tipline complaints, she said. These led to 34 FIRs registered U/s 67-8 IT ACT and Sec 15 of POCSO ACT, including 17 cases registered in TGCSB's Cyber Crime Police Stations (CCPSs) across the state. She said that these accused were arrested in a coordinated operation from Hyderabad, Yadagirigutta, Karimnagar, Warangal, Jagtial, and Jagadgirigutta in a one-day special operation. The arrested accused are aged between 19 and 50 years and mostly belong to the working and middle-class groups, the Director said, and adding that most of the CSEAM content appears to involve foreign individuals, with victims appearing to be between six and 14 years of age, and 9O percent of the content pertains to girls. All arrested accused have been sent to judicial remand, she said. The investigation is ongoing to identify the victims, trace the origin of the content, establish the exact role of the individuals, and dismantle the criminal networks involved in creating, circulating, selling, and purchasing CSEAM, she said. This operation reinforces TGCSB's unwavering commitment to safeguarding children in the digital space and ensuring that perpetrators of such heinous crimes face legal consequences. It also aims to send a strong message that those involved in such activities will be held accountable under the law, Shikha Goel added. The Child Protection Unit (CPU) was established within TGCSB in February 2025 and was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Telangana A Revanth Reddy, during the SHIELD 2025 Cyber Security Conclave held at HICC, Hyderabad. This unit is involved in proactively monitoring and acting upon the digital circulation of CSEAM material. TGCSB serves as the nodal agency for managing CSEAM-related complaints, including Cyber Tiplines, Child Pornography and Rape/Gang Rape (CPRGR) grievances received through the NCRP portal, and Case Monitoring Tools (CMT) of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This unit also monitors such activities on various social media platforms and organises cyber patrolling through the Dark and Deep Web. Since its formation, in the last four months, the CPU has been instrumental in registering 294 FIRs and apprehending 110 accused, compared to 37 FIRs and 34 arrests made during the previous two years prior to the CPU's formation. The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau urged citizens to remain vigilant and proactive in reporting any suspicious online activity involving children, Report Immediately by using (Women & Child tab) or dial 193O to report suspicious content or profiles. Shikha Goel commended the leadership of Harshavardhan, SP (CS & A), along with DSPs N. Vasu, KV Surya Prakash, KVM Prasad, Y. Venkateshwarlu, Narsimha Reddy, and other officers for their exceptional efforts in this operation. UNI KNR RN
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
15 held across Telangana for circulating child sexual abuse material
A total of 15 habitual offenders involved in digital circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSEAM) were arrested by the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB). The accused The accused were identified as 24-year-old Mir Zakir Mohiuddin Ali Khan from Charminar; 30-year-old Prasad Kumar from Secunderabad; 23-year-old Syed Faheem Uddin, also from Charminar; 23-year-old Guramm Mahesh from Atmakur in Yadadri district; and 25-year-old Mohd Baseer Ahmed Quraishi from Mallepally. Others include 29-year-old Shaik Ameer, 25-year-old Silmula Marteen and 31-year-old Palancha Sandeep, all from Nizamabad; 50-year-old Battula Anjaneyulu, 29-year-old A. Siba Dora, and 28-year-old Md Jalal Uddin, all from Karimnagar; 30-year-old Imran Mohammed, from Hanumakonda; 19-year-old Siddhartha, from Korutla, Jagtial; 20-year-old Errola Shiva, from Saroornagar and 19-year-old Abed Alam Khan from Qutbullapur. The arrests were made during a coordinated State-wide operation conducted on Wednesday (June 18, 2025) by the bureau's specialised Child Protection Unit (CPU), which has been monitoring habitual offenders engaged in the uploading, storage and distribution of exploitative content involving minors. The arrested individuals were picked up from multiple districts including Hyderabad, Yadadri, Karimnagar, Warangal, Jagtial and Jagadgirigutta. All 15 were found to be repeat offenders, linked to at least 57 cyber tipline complaints. The operation resulted in 34 First Information Reports being registered under the IT Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, including 17 cases taken up by TGCSB's Cyber Crime Police Stations (CCPS). The CSEAM content recovered in the operation primarily involved foreign victims, with children aged between 6 and 14 years. Nearly 90% of the content pertained to girls. Most of the accused belong to working- and middle-class backgrounds, officials said. Social media patrolling and dark web crawling TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said the bureau had also blocked nearly 200 websites linked to CSEAM material as part of the operation. She explained that multiple methods are being used to track down such activity. 'One is the tipline analysis. The bureau is also involved in in-house social media patrolling and dark web crawling to identify the accused involved in sharing such content,' Ms. Goel said. The investigation, she added, is still ongoing to identify the victims, trace the origin of the content and determine whether the accused were involved in its creation. 'We are suspecting that the accused could have downloaded the content from either open platforms or purchased it on dark web. However, we are also investigating to identify the source of the content to see if they were involved in its creation,' she noted. Action against social media companies The official also hinted that action will be taken against social media companies. 'Social media platforms are expected to carry out due diligence and block the users who are sharing such content. In this case, action will be taken against the social media platforms where the content was traced.' She further stressed the need for stricter norms to be enforced by platform operators to ensure timely action against those circulating such material. The officer also warned that even browsing such material is a punishable offence and will attract action by the police.
