Child porn WhatsApp group busted, 3 held

Indore, April 18

The cyber cell of Madhya Pradesh police has busted an “international” WhatsApp group suspected to be involved in circulation of child pornographic content and arrested three persons, including a Class 12 student, from the state in this regard, an officer said on Wednesday.

According to police, people from as many as 28 countries, including India, are associated with the “Kids Oly Sex” group.

A resident of Gujarat was one of the administrators of this group, the officer said.

State Cyber Cell’s Superintendent of Police Jitendra Singh said they arrested electrical engineer Makrand Salunke (24) from Mhow and utensil trader Omkar Singh Rathore (43) from Dhar district on Tuesday. The police also detained a class 12 student from Khandwa district.

They have been booked under section 67-B of the Information Technology Act, which is related to child pornography, the SP said.

Singh said most of the Indians who were part of the 256-member group were from northeastern and southern states. “The people from countries like Nepal, Pakistan, S Arabia, UAE, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Canada, Myanmar, Vietnam, Uganda and Algeria are the members of this group,” he said.

The officer said the group was operated from a Kuwaiti mobile number when the police busted it. “At the time of exposing the group, it was being operated from a mobile number from Kuwait. However, administrators of this group constantly kept changing,” the SP said.

Explaining the modus operandi of the operators of the group, Singh said the people associated with circulating pornographic content on the social media used to be invited by members of this group by sending them links. — PTI