10,000 cases booked by Centre for posting child porn, abuse content on social media in A.P.

Officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) registered about 10,000 cases for alleged sexual abuse of children and uploading pornographic content in Andhra Pradesh.

Based on the complaints received through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the MHA booked the cases under Section 67 (b) of the IT Act for uploading and sharing of child sexual abuse videos and photographs on various social media groups in 2022.

A majority of the cases were booked in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada Police Commissionerates and other urban areas. The MHA has been monitoring the investigation of the cases through the A.P. Crime Investigation Department (APCID).

The MHA has engaged an agency exclusively to monitor the social media groups to check circulation of child pornography. It will register cases and forward them to the States concerned for further action.

Individuals could lodge complaints on online child sexual abuse, posting of rape, gang-rape photographs and videos by logging on to the Citizens Portal in the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The details of the complainants would be kept confidential and the status of the case would be informed to them, said CID Additional Director General P.V. Sunil Kumar.

Investigation

Police were investigating whether the accused were doing any business by circulating child pornography and the role of website operators, the CID officials said.

Mr. Sunil Kumar said that both Central and the State governments were serious about the online illegal and criminal activities. The MHA had already blocked some porn sites prohibited in the country. A vigil was on on Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and other groups, he added.

Notices had been served to the social media websites and other portals on which the content was uploaded, to remove the photos and videos. Cases would be registered against the managements, if they did not respond to the notices, said CID Superintendent of Police K.G.V. Saritha, who is the State Nodal Officer for Cyber Tipline Reports (child pornography and child sexual abuse cases).

“We have forwarded the cases to the districts concerned and the CID is monitoring the investigation every month. Some hundreds of people accused in the cases have been arrested,” Ms. Saritha told The Hindu on Saturday.

“The response from the district units and the Cyber Crime Cells across the State is good. The Disha Mahila Police and the IT Core Teams have also been roped in to investigate the cases. Stern action will be taken against those who resort to sexual exploitation of minors online,” the SP warned.