Resembling the child exploitation racket linked to Jeffrey Epstein, a special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday sentenced a former junior engineer and his wife to death for sexually abusing dozens of children, filming the acts and selling the videos to clients through the dark web.
The convicts, identified as Ram Bhavan, a suspended government junior engineer, and his wife Durgavati, were found guilty of sexually exploiting and filming 33 minor boys over several years. The court described the case as falling under the “rarest of rare” category, citing the scale, severity, and prolonged nature of the crimes.
While pronouncing the sentence, the trial judge observed that the crimes reflected “exceptional depravity” and caused severe and lasting harm to the victims, leaving no scope for reform and warranting the maximum punishment under the law.
The case was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 31, 2020, following allegations that the couple had sexually abused minors and created and distributed child sexual abuse material online. After completing its investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet on February 10, 2021, and charges were formally framed by the court on May 26, 2023.
According to government advocate Saurabh Kumar Singh, the accused had recorded videos of abuse involving children aged between three and 18 years while living in a rented accommodation in Chitrakoot. These videos were allegedly shared with clients across 47 countries through online platforms.
The CBI investigation revealed that the accused had been involved in illegal activities for nearly a decade, during which they created a large volume of illicit content and exploited multiple victims.
Investigators found that the accused lured children by offering money, gifts, and access to online video games. The crimes took place between 2010 and 2020 in the Banda and Chitrakoot districts.
During the trial, statements of the victims were recorded and presented as key evidence. Authorities said the investigation involved careful handling of digital evidence and coordination with forensic and medical experts, while ensuring counselling and emotional support for the victims.
The court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each victim. It also ordered that the Rs 8 lakh in cash recovered from the accused be distributed equally among the victims.
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