Ahmedabad: A 40-year-old Gujarati doctor who was facing multiple charges related to possession and transmission of child sexual abuse material in the US was found dead in Florida’s Alachua county jail.Additional charges were filed against him just days before he was found dead on Thursday.Chintan Vimalkumar Shah, a former associate clinical professor at the University of Florida and nephrologist at UF Health Shands, was found unresponsive in the cell where he was being held alone, according to the Alachua county sheriff’s office.Shah’s next of kin have been informed. Authorities have not disclosed the cause of death and said an investigation will be conducted.Shah was initially arrested on July 8 following a CyberTip that led investigators to a Kik account allegedly used to share a video involving a pre-pubescent girl. A search of his phone subsequently resulted in six additional charges, while another 34 counts were filed on July 18 after investigators allegedly found more material.Earlier this week, investigators added child sexual abuse material charges after identifying a girl Shah had allegedly communicated with as a minor. According to investigators, the girl told them Shah had sought sexually explicit photographs from her and allegedly threatened to contact her parents if she stopped complying.Police records cited in reports said investigators traced the online activity to an internet account registered in Shah’s name and subsequently obtained search warrants for his residence and digital accounts.Investigators also allegedly found images that appeared to have been digitally manipulated using artificial intelligence to remove clothing from photographs of young girls in bikinis. At least one image reportedly involved an adult woman known to Shah.During questioning, Shah allegedly denied knowledge of the Kik account and asked to speak to an attorney. Prosecutors had opposed his release on bond, citing concerns that he could flee to India, where he was born and raised.Shah had no known criminal history before the case. Following his arrest, UF Health placed him on leave and removed his profile from its website.
