Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A day after eight FIRs were registered across Bhopal over the circulation of obscene videos involving minors, police have identified several individuals who shared the objectionable content on social media and WhatsApp. Police are now serving them with notices for questioning in the case.
According to officials, the accused were traced using details provided by central investigation agencies. Police teams are now preparing to arrest the identified individuals.
Once they’re in custody, investigators will conduct a thorough forensic examination of their mobile phones, laptops,and other devices to determine how widely the content was shared and identify others involved in the distribution network.
Several mobile numbers and IP addresses have already been traced. After the arrests, digital data will be analysed to track the entire chain of circulation, a police official involved in the investigation said.
Cases were registered simultaneously at eight police stations: Mangalwara, Misrod, Kotwali, Piplani, Ashoka Garden, Bilkhiriya, Ayodhya Nagar, and TT Nagar. The obscene videos were allegedly circulated between 2021 and 2024.
Alongside the investigation, police are also planning an awareness drive, especially targeting youth, to discourage the sharing of explicit or illegal content online. “People, particularly young users, must understand that forwarding such videos is a criminal offence,” an official emphasised.
Authorities have also appealed to parents to remain vigilant about their children’s online activities. Officials also urged that parents should keep an eye on what their children are watching and who they are interacting with on social media.
The Crime Branch continues to monitor online platforms for similar content and has not ruled out the possibility of registering more cases in future.
Dark web used to watch content
Police investigation indicates that some of the persons against whom cases have been registered have accessed the dark web to watch obscene content involving minors, while others have stored it in their devices and forwarded it to others through social media and WhatsApp.
