KOCHI: Muhammad Mubarak Hussain went from being the aggrieved party to being accused of an egregious crime — in no time.
He arrived at the Perumbavoor police station to file a complaint about a theft at his residence. As part of the process, officers examined his mobile phone, which revealed shocking results:
The 27-year-old migrant labourer was found to be part of multiple social media chat groups, operating from Pakistan, circulating pornographic content, including involving children. Officers found a large volume of child sexual abuse material on his phone. The Nagaon, Assam, resident was immediately arrested.
“We found that he was a member of three WhatsApp and Telegram groups with the administrators and a majority of members based in Pakistan. All these groups were being used to circulate pornographic content, including child pornography. He is also part of similar groups based in India,” a senior police officer said.
While investigators have not yet uncovered evidence suggesting the accused shared sensitive information with foreign nationals, central and state agencies have been roped in to assess the possibility of cross-border data exchange.
‘Accused downloaded and shared obscene content’
Police have decided to seek custody of Mubarak to further the investigation. “We need to identify other members involved in these groups. The accused had actively shared and downloaded obscene content.
His mobile phone has been sent for forensic analysis, and his other social media accounts are also under scrutiny,” the officer added. Meanwhile, based on Mubarak’s complaint that a five-member gang had barged into his rented house and robbed him of Rs 37,000, five suspects—Rishad, Salahudeen, Basil, Anu, and Salim—were arrested. Police said the gang targeted migrant workers in similar fashion across the Perumbavoor region.