A UP couple has been sentenced to death by a special POCSO court for sexually assaulting, filming, and selling abuse material of about 33 children on the dark web. The verdict was delivered by a court in Banda after detailed hearings.
The couple, Ram Bhavan and his wife, Durgavati, were found guilty under several sections of the BNS, including the Indian Penal Code, the POCSO act and the IT Act. The judges awarded the two a death sentence after describing the case as falling within the "rarest of the rare" category based on the unparalleled depravity and systemic nature of the crime, and observed that there was no room for reformation.
Bhavan worked as a junior engineer in the Irrigation department at the time of his arrest.
According to the prosecution, The abuse took place over a decade from 2010 to 2020 across multiple districts. 33 minor boys were identified as the victims in the initial probe. The youngest victim was about 3 years old.
The case surfaced in October 2020 after Interpol flagged child sexual abuse material circulating on the dark web, which was traced back to the couple, TOI reported. The investigation was taken over by the CBI.
In November 2020, the two were arrested based on reports that the couple and several other individuals were filming the abuse of the children and posting them online.
The accused targeted children between the ages of five and 15 from the neighbourhood and known circles from economically weaker families.
They lured the children with money, food, mobile phones, internet and video games and recorded their abuse using mobile phones and other devices and later shared them online via encrypted online platforms.
During searches, authorities discovered about two lakh videos on about 6 pendrives. One pendrive contained about 34 videos and 679 images. Rs 8 lakh in cash was also recovered along with 12 mobile phones, 2 laptops, and a hard disk. A large amount of illegal child abuse content was identified on these devices.
Multiple email IDs and mobile numbers were used to upload the material on the dark web and social media sites and to sell them to buyers in as many as 47 countries.
74 witnesses were produced in court, including 25 of the victims.
The court observed that the crimes caused severe physical and psychological harm to the children. Some of the victims required hospital treatment for injuries, and some developed complications, including squinting eyes.
The court, in its 163-page verdict, has also imposed a fine of Rs 6.45 lakh on the Ram Bhavan and Rs 5.40 lakh on Durgavati.
Rs 10 lakh each will be given as financial assistance to the victims of the abuse.
Another man from Delhi has also been arrested in relation to the case, and further investigation is underway.