Thiruvananthapuram: The cyber wing of Kerala Police has intensified its crackdown on those involved in circulating child sexual abuse material online, with eight people arrested and 212 electronic devices seized during statewide raids conducted as part of ‘Operation P-Hunt’.A total of 398 suspected locations were raided and 135 cases registered under the Information Technology Act. Police also prepared 70 reports under BNSS section related to police seizure of property and nine social background reports.A total of 150 special investigation teams led the operation under the direct supervision of district police chiefs. The teams targeted those involved in selling or circulating child sexual abuse material and repeat offenders.The investigation found that such material was being circulated through social media platforms, encrypted messaging applications and cloud storage services. Police also found instances of malware being used to gain access to webcams and personal information of minors.The Countering Child Sexual Exploitation (CCSE) teams of the cyber police traced the suspects by analysing IP addresses and other digital evidence. The seized devices, including mobile phones, hard disks and memory cards, have been sent for forensic examination.Police said more arrests were likely based on evidence recovered from the devices. The CCSE team, functioning under the cyber operations wing for the past six years, has so far registered 2,306 cases and arrested 403 people in such cases.Police urged the public to report channels or groups found circulating illegal child sexual abuse material to the CCSE centre or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP).Despite recent successes in combating cybercrime against children, offenders continue to adapt their methods to evade law enforcement, police said.“Recognising the severity of the ongoing crisis and the continued exploitation of children, the CCSE Centre transitioned to a high-tech operational mode. Its investigators utilised specialised software to collect IP addresses and advanced digital tools to trace individuals sharing illicit material across social media platforms,” it said.
