2 booked in R’kesh for sharing child sexual abuse videos

Dehradun: Police in Rishikesh have registered an FIR against two people for allegedly sharing videos and photographs of child sexual abuse on social media platforms, officials said on Tuesday.The accused have been identified as Raji Sharma and Rakesh Sharma.

The case was registered on Monday under provisions of the Information Technology Act.SI Viksit Panwar said the accused were found sharing objectionable content related to the sexual exploitation of children online. “They were traced on the basis of the mobile numbers used to share the content. Further investigation is underway and efforts are being made to bring them in for questioning,” Panwar said.Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Police’s Special Task Force (STF) registered 52 FIRs across the state in June against people allegedly storing or sharing online content related to the sexual exploitation of children.STF SSP Ajai Singh said 12 of these FIRs were registered on the basis of inputs received from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. “The number of FIRs registered in June shows the growing misuse of the internet to circulate child sexual abuse material, which is a criminal offence,” Singh said.He urged people to alert police if they come across anyone sharing such content online. “Parents should also monitor their children’s online activity to protect them from falling prey to sexual exploitation,” he added.