Man arrested by CBI for possession, sharing of child sexual abuse content in UP's Mathura

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an accused from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, in a chilling case of sexual exploitation of minor children and possession and distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The accused has been identified as Shyam Bihari, a resident of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The CBI filed a suo motu case on June 17 upon receipt of reliable intelligence about the activities of the accused, where the accused was found to create, collect, store, and upload explicit CSAM content. The accused confessed to possessing pornographic content involving children, which was against several provisions in Indian law relating to child protection and cybercrime.

A search operation was carried out on June 19 at the Mathura residence of the accused, during which several electronic devices storing incriminating data were seized. Forensic examination revealed a significant amount of CSAM, including explicit images and clips showing rape, sexual harassment, and abuse of minors. The CBI cross-checked the restored material against INTERPOL’s International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database and Cyber Tipline Reports (CTRs) submitted by Google through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The digital evidence showed that the accused himself had made some of the materials in Mathura. In a rapid and coordinated operation, CBI officials were able to trace, find, and rescue the minor victims who had not already reported being abused owing to fear and intimidation. The accused was detained on Saturday and is in CBI custody as further investigation is in progress.