Bokaro, September 20: Bokaro police have uncovered a major network involved in posting and selling child pornography online. Two men, Ankit Kumar Jedi and Vivek Kumar, both residents of Gandhinagar in Bokaro, have been arrested in connection with the case.
The operation was led by the Bokaro CID in collaboration with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (ICCCC) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Police said the investigation revealed a website called Hoptic.com was being used as a digital marketplace to upload and share child sexual abuse material. The accused also used Telegram channels and cloud storage platforms to distribute the videos, earning money from users who paid between ₹500 and ₹2,000 for access.
The arrests followed complaints filed on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, including one from a victim whose videos and photos were uploaded without consent, causing severe mental trauma. Further investigation revealed that the network was international, selling illegal material to people in Oman, Bangladesh, UAE and other countries. Police are conducting raids to apprehend other members of the gang.
The two arrested men, aged 20 and 22, had dropped out of school during the COVID-19 pandemic and later became involved in the child pornography trade. During searches, police recovered numerous pornographic videos and other objectionable material from their devices.
Cases have been filed against gang members across Jharkhand, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
