For a decade, Ram Bhawan ran his child porn operations in an unremarkable environment – a rented room in Chitrakoot, a job as a junior engineer in the state irrigation department, and an ordinary life that gave no outward indication of what he was doing to the children around him. Some of the victims, all of whom were boys under 18 years of age He is not more than three years old.
Ram Bhawan and his wife filmed a staggering two million videos involving dozens of victims, prosecutors said in their trial that concluded this week. Special court to protect children from sexual crimes (POCSO) A law in Banda, Uttar Pradesh sentenced this man and his wife Durgawati to death on Friday.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has been investigating the case since late 2020, gave a detailed general description of how the couple operated.
How the couple lured and threatened the children
“Ram Bhawan used to apply various forms of labor tactics on children, including accessing online video games and offering money or gifts to lure them,” a CBI spokesperson said.
The targets were boys from Banda, Chitrakoot and surrounding areas. They were drawn to what appeared to be small acts of generosity before being abused and photographed. Ram Bhavan also promised them “mobile phones, chocolates and watches”, The prosecution said.
Through photos and videos, he then threatened them for many years, according to special prosecutor Saurabh Singh.
Ram Bhawan and Durgawati remained active in the Banda-Chitrakoot general area between 2010 and 2020.
The CBI got help from Interpol, the global police group that found three mobile phone numbers linked to the sale of pornography on the dark web.
The victims are still suffering
During the investigation, it came to light that Ram Bhawan, a resident of Narini town in Banda district, was living in a rented room in Chitrakoot area where the crimes were committed, and his wife allegedly helped him and even threatened the families of the minors to force them to remain silent or settle.
The CBI’s account of what happened in that rented room was stark. An official at the Central Bank of Iraq said: “During the investigation of the case, it was found that the accused committed various forms of perversion, including aggravated sexual assaults against 33 male children, some of whom were as young as three years old.” Some reports put the number of victims at more than 50 people. At least 25 people testified out of 74 witnesses.
The officer added, “Some of them remained in the hospital. A few victims suffered from strabismus. The victims are still suffering from psychological trauma caused by predators.”
The recording of the abuse was not incidental or perverse alone; It was a business venture for the couple. The CBI established that Ram Bhawan built a systematic digital process to sell what he photographed. Investigators were monitoring child sexual abuse material circulating on the Internet when they identified content linked to the couple.
Stunning numbers reveal the scale of corruption
Prosecutors said the duo distributed more than two million objectionable videos and photos of victims to nearly 47 countries via the Internet. The pen drive found during the investigation contained 34 explicit videos and 679 images. The couple used multiple mobile numbers and email IDs to upload, share and sell the material across social media platforms, websites and the dark web. PTI reported that a forensic examination of their electronic devices proved that there was a clear digital trace of them.
The CBI shared information with foreign agencies who also identified the buyers and recipients of these materials, strengthening the case that began in a rented room in semi-urban Uttar Pradesh.
The couple was convicted under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act on charges including aggravated sexual assault, use of children for pornographic purposes, storing pornographic material involving children, abetment, and criminal conspiracy.
The trial began in June 2023. In her 163-page judgment, Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Pradeep Kumar Mishra applied The “rarest of rarities” doctrine.
“The sheer scale of this victimization in multiple areas, coupled with the extreme moral depravity of the convicts, indicates that this is a crime of such an exceptional and heinous nature that it leaves no room for redress, necessitating ultimate judicial deterrence to achieve the ends of justice,” the court said.
The UP government has been directed to pay $10,000 compensation for each of the 33 victims. The money seized from the couple’s home will be distributed to the victims in equal proportions.
