KOCHI: Police personnel in Koothattukulam were in for a surprise when they traced the address of a person based on a mobile number provided by the ‘Operation P Hunt’ team. The officials, who reached the house, found a 42-year-old techie, father of two, using the particular number. The direction was to nab the person who has been watching and downloading child pornography videos extensively from the internet.
His wife and children — a boy and a girl — were in a shock when police found a lot of downloaded child pornography videos on his mobile phone. After availing bail, the man has admitted to child porn addiction and the family has now arranged psychological counselling for him.
“He belongs to a well-known and financially sound family at Koothattukulam. His family was clueless about his addiction,” said an officer. Police registered a case against the accused under sections of IT and Pocso Acts. “We have sent the mobile phone for cyber forensic analysis,” said ASI Raju Paul.Cyber Crime officials said accessing child pornography content by anyone on the internet can now be easily tracked and police are always on the lookout for IP addresses that log on to such sites. “In a majority of the cases, the accused are educated and from respectable families. They know that it’s a crime, but cannot desist from watching it,” the officer added.
Renowned psychiatrist Dr C J John said if someone is extensively into child porn watching, the person has traits of a pedophile. “The person might not be openly showing his pedophilic behaviour but will resort to it if an opportunity arises. Interventions like Operation P Hunt are a must to check such deviant behaviour. These measures prevent possible abuse of children. Not many openly admit to addiction to watching even normal porn. If a person himself identifies addiction and wants to get out of it, then counselling is an option,” he added.