CHENNAI: A city-based businessman was arrested on Saturday night for downloading child sexual abuse content (colloquially known as child pornography) from the dark web and sharing it with his friend via Facebook messenger.
Police arrested the 49-year-old suspect, a computer science graduate, soon after he landed at the Chennai airport from New Delhi, where he had gone for a brief visit.
“He was secured based on information provided by the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Though he had used the dark web, we were able to ascertain the IP address of the phone he used to share the content,” police said.
Speaking to Express, Deputy Commissioner Jayalakshmi said that the NCMEC is equipped with technology to monitor sharing of such content.
“The suspect had used different web browsers to keep his identity anonymous still we were able to nab him,” another officer said.
Vepery All Women Police have booked him under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and also the Information Technology Act. He was produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. Police are also inquiring on who the suspect had sent the material to and whether he was part of some large network.