Kerala: 41 arrested in crackdown on child pornography

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 28 (ANI): In a major crackdown by the Kerala police as part of Operation P-Hunt against the circulation of child pornographic content and to curb sexual abuse against children, 41 people were arrested in a statewide raid conducted by police.
In the raid led by Cyberdome Officer and ADGP Manoj Abraham, a total of 339 cases have been registered across the state.
"The arrests were made after people spread nude pictures of children on social media and Whatsapp groups. As many as 339 cases were registered and 392 devices were seized. The raids were carried out at 465 places across the state. Total of 41 cases have been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act, and 298 cases were registered under Section 102 in The Code Of Criminal Procedure," the police said.
According to the Kerala Police Counter-Child Sexual Exploitation Team, pornography-related abuses have been on the rise in the COVID-19 backdrop. Most of the arrested persons have stable jobs, with a majority of them being IT professionals.
"Equipment used to spread child pornography on social media via the internet was also seized from the accused. Most of those arrested were high-ranking professionals, most of them IT professionals and youths," the police said.
According to the team, nude pictures and videos of children are increasingly circulating on social media such as WhatsApp and Instagram.
With 46 cases, the Malappuram district registered the highest number of cases followed by Palakkad, 38 cases. In Alappuzha, 32 cases were registered and 43 pieces of equipment were seized.
In Thiruvananthapuram Rural, 30 cases were registered and 49 devices seized, while four cases were registered and four devices were seized.
Details of cases registered in other districts are 27 in Kannur, 21 in Kottayam, 14 in Kollam City, 15 in Kollam Rural, 11 in Pathanamthitta, 13 in Idukki, 17 in Kochi City, 16 in Ernakulam Rural, eight in Thrissur City, 18 in Thrissur Rural, four in Kozhikode City, two in Kozhikode Rural, seven in Wayanad, and sixteen in Kasaragod. (ANI)