The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 24 conducted searches at 59 locations across 20 States and one Union Territory, as part of a pan-India drive against the circulation and sharing of child sexual abuse material.
Key points
- The operation was code-named “Megh Chakra”. It was carried out following the inputs received from the Interpol’s Singapore special unit based on the information received from the authorities in New Zealand.
- The searches were carried out in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The agency seized electronic devices belonging to the suspects.
- In November 2021, the CBI had launched a similar exercise code-named “Operation Carbon”, searching the premises of suspects in 13 States and one Union Territory. The previous operation was conducted at 76 locations.
- The persons named in the FIRs were booked under the relevant provisions of the IPC and the Information Technology Act, for allegedly being part of the syndicates that uploaded, circulated, sold and viewed such material.
- The CBI had later decided to send requests to several countries for sharing and gathering information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) on those involved in the racket.
