Accused, who used to solicit images from under-age girls, boys on pretext of giving them a break in Bollywood, booked in Mumbai
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The CBI has booked a city-based junior TV actor for allegedly running an international online racket of sexual content by luring minor girls into providing him with nudes. He lured them with the promise of film roles. Cops said he contacted youngsters via social media and used their pictures to threaten them into joining the racket.
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The CBI took suo-moto cognisance of the matter after its Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention unit gathered intelligence about the racket. Teams then raided the actor's premises in Mumbai and recovered his laptop and other electronic gadgets.
According to officers, the actor used to contact girls and boys in the age group of 10-16 years from across the world. "Data retrieved from his laptop and mobile suggests that he had contacted more than 1,000 minors through his Instagram and WhatsApp accounts," said a CBI officer.
The agency has also found out that he hails from Dehradun in Uttarakhand. "He would pose as a film star and contact minors who are active on social media platforms and aspire to become actors. He would then start casual conversations with them and lure them into giving him nudes, which he later used to blackmail and threaten them," the officer added.
The officers have also found that he would video call the victims through WhatsApp and ask them to perform sexual acts. "We have found that he shared the videos and photographs of minors with his clients across the world through his social media accounts, mainly Instagram. We are trying to find out whether he was making money out of it and who all are involved in this racket. However, the initial probe suggests that he was doing it for sexual pleasure," the officer added.
According to the CBI, his WhatsApp and Instagram chats reveal that when some of the victims refused to be a part of the racket, he would threaten them of sharing their photos and videos with friends and family.
Confirming the development, CBI spokesperson RK Gaur told mid-day, "The case has been registered under section 12 of POCSO Act and section 67 of Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway."
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