Hyderabad: An operation by SHE Cyber Lab of Telangana police‘s women safety wing led to the arrest of a man in West Bengal who was involved in circulating child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Based on the report sent by the Telangana women safety wing, a team of West Bengal police conducted a raid in the Mongaldihi area in Birbhum district and apprehended the accused, seizing his mobile phone. His mobile contained over 1,000 videos of child pornography.
Further investigation also revealed a network of 46 individuals linked to the suspect through CSAM purchases, said a women safety wing official.
The investigation revealed that the accused was actively involved in distributing these videos through various Telegram groups and other private digital channels. Using adult private chat groups, he circulated CSAM widely, using payment gateways such as PhonePe and Paytm to monetise these illegal transactions. Currently, an investigation is ongoing to identify whether he was part of any larger network, said Shikha Goel, director, women safety wing.
Police said they got leads about this network while conducting routine cyber patrolling using OSINT tools and specialised cyber lab tools to identify suspicious online activities, particularly those involving crimes against women and children.
The SHE Cyber Lab has so far identified 180 CSAM related leads and has shared 65 intelligence reports with concerned police departments in 13 states across India. These efforts led to the registration of 20 FIRs and the arrest of 21 accused.
SHE Cyber Lab also assists various departments by providing data analytics for tracing both victims and perpetrators, thereby extending cyber forensic support to investigating officers across the state.
The lab predominantly focuses on tracking and investigating these cases to address global concerns surrounding CSAM and related crimes, targeting women and children, added Goel.
