HYDERABAD: In a coordinated operation, Telangana police arrested 15 repeat offenders for the possession and circulation of Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM).
The arrests were made on Wednesday, following 57 cyber tipline complaints, which resulted in the registration of 34 FIRs under Sections 67 and 67B of the IT Act and Section 15 of the POCSO Act. Seventeen of these cases were filed at the Cybercrime Police Stations under the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) across the state.
The accused were apprehended during a special one-day operation in Hyderabad, Yadagirigutta, Karimnagar, Warangal, Jagtial and Jagadgirigutta. Those arrested are aged between 19 and 50 and are largely from working and middle-class backgrounds. Among them is an IIT graduate hailing from Nizamabad, who is currently employed with a reputed firm.
Gang targeted tribal women in remote areas
During the probe that followed, another victim approached the police, stating she had been sold to a brothel in Madhya Pradesh for Rs 1.10 lakh. She managed to escape and return home last month.
Police officials revealed that the gang specifically targeted tribal women from remote mandals such as Kerameri and Tiryani, where several women had been reported missing in recent years. Investigations confirmed that at least some of these women had been trafficked in a similar manner.
This is not the first such case in the region. In 2015, two tribal women from Indravelly mandal were reportedly kidnapped and sold in Rajasthan.
Asifabad police have registered cases against nine accused and arrested six of them so far. Those arrested include police constable Kameri Haridas (PC-1669), Pariki Pandla Vijaya Laxmi, Sathyamshetty Sujatha, Boire Panchapula, Taduri Usha and Durgam Sudhakar. Three others — Basher Ramesh Goud, Basher Surekha and Soni Jagadeesh — are absconding.
Constable Haridas had previously been involved in a similar offence registered under Crime No. 30/2019 at Tiryani police station, Asifabad DSP (in-charge) Ramanujam said.
Shielding KIDS
294 FIRs and 110 arrests since the CPU launch in February 2025; only 37 FIRs and 34 arrests recorded in the two years prior
TGCSB collaborates with NCMEC, ICMEC, and I4C, using shared intelligence to track offenders.
Citizens urged to report suspicious online activity involving children via www.cybercrime.gov.in (Women & Child tab) or helpline 1930