• The CBI carried out searches at 59 locations across 21 states and a Union Territory in an internationally coordinated law-enforcement crackdown on online circulation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

• The raids, part of ‘Operation Megha Chakra’, were launched after the agency registered two cases under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act based on inputs from the Crime Against Children (CAC) unit of Interpol, based in Singapore, which had received it from the New Zealand Police.

• The operation is targeted at cloud storage — hence the codename ‘Megha Chakra’ — used by the peddlers to circulate audio-visual material on illicit sexual activities with minors.

• The searches were spread across Haryana, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh among others.

• Operation Megha Chakra is one of the major CBI-led global operations in recent times as a rapid response to online child sexual exploitation with international linkages and organised cyber-enabled financial crimes, where victims, accused, suspects, conspirators are located across global jurisdictions, requiring a internationally coordinated law-enforcement response. 

• The operation will collate information from law-enforcement agencies in India, engage with agencies globally and coordinate closely through Interpol channels to combat online child sexual exploitation and such organised cyber criminal activities.

• The CBI said coordination meetings were organised with the Interpol and foreign law-enforcement agencies for sharing critical information to dismantle such cybercrime networks. 

Blocking of child sexual abuse material

• Children are some of the most vulnerable members of our society and can be victims of various forms of violence.

• The global reach and anonymity of the Internet have greatly facilitated the distribution of child sexual abuse material, and access to it. Offenders can come into direct contact with children via social networks and chat functions in games or apps.

The priority of Interpol’s Crimes Against Children unit is to:

i) Identify and rescue young victims of sexual abuse.

ii) Block access to child sexual abuse material.

iii) Prevent sex offenders from travelling abroad to abuse children or escape justice.

• Preventing users from accessing websites that show child sexual abuse material is an important part of the fight against this crime. By blocking access, it stops re-victimisation of the children abused, and has a pedagogic effect on users who may be about to commit a serious offence by viewing or downloading illegal material.

• To block access to Internet domains that disseminate child sexual abuse material, police can give Internet Service Providers a list of domains, or web addresses, to block in their networks. When users attempt to view the page, they may be redirected to a ‘stop page’ containing information on the reason for the redirection, links to legislation, where to complain, etc.

• Preventing access to child sexual abuse material is used as a complement to investigations, arrests and undercover operations.

• Access blocking should be used as part of a holistic approach to combating child sexual exploitation.

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