New Delhi: A special court sentenced a couple to death for filming and selling pornographic content on the dark web. They reportedly filmed minors and sold the clips online. The incident happened 6 years ago in Chitrakoot in the state. The verdict was delivered by the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Banda.
The verdict gave closure to one of the most disturbing cases reported from the region in recent times.
Court awards death sentence, directs government to provide compensation to victims’ families
According to a report in India Today, the court convicted the couple, identified as Ram Bhavan, a junior engineer in the Irrigation Department, and his wife Durgavati. They were found guilty under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, the POCSO Act and the Information Technology Act.
The court also invoked Section 377 of the Penal Code against the duo. This law, which has now been read down by the Supreme Court, criminalised sexual acts “against the order of nature.” This was applied in the case, as the offences were committed before this law was nullified by the apex court.
The court sentenced both the accused to death. It also directed the Central government as well as the state government to pay Rs 10 lakh each as compensation to the families of the victims.
Couple arrested by CBI in 2020
The couple was arrested in October 2020, by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The arrest happened following complaints of child sexual abuse in Chitrakoot and other nearby districts.
According to the investigators, the accused used to lure children between the ages of 5 to 16 years. These children were either from their neighbourhood or extended family. The children were sexually abused and the act was then recorded on camera, said the officials. They either used mobile phones or other electronic devices to record the sexual acts, added investigators.
The CBI sleuths recovered Rs 8 lakh in cash, 12 mobile phones, 2 laptops, a hard disk and 6 pen drives from their possession. These devices contained large volumes of child sexual abuse material, showed forensic examination.
The investigators said that these videos were sold to buyers online, on the dark web and through encrypted sources. The buyers included foreign nationals.
Initially investigators had identified 33 child victims in the case. The witnesses included children aged between 4 and 22 years of age. Apart from the couple, the police had arrested a man from Delhi, whose role in the case remains under investigation.