Last month, the Pune rural police uncovered a racket operating out of a bungalow in Patan village of Maval taluka, approximately 11 kilometres from Lonavala, involved in producing and distributing pornographic films. Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the bungalow, where they found 13 men and five women engaged in filming pornographic content, which was subsequently uploaded to various websites.
The main accused, identified as Vishnu (35) from Kolkata, allegedly produced pornographic films for a production company named 'Sexfantasy'. The other individuals involved, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Uttarakhand, included actors, cameramen, light technicians, and makeup artists.
An investigation revealed that Vishnu and his associates earned money by selling these films to operators of illegal pornography websites. They also allegedly uploaded the content on social media platforms and mobile apps, generating revenue through subscription charges from viewers.
Vishnu reportedly organised the production of pornographic films meticulously, hiring women for up to ₹20,000 per day and men for up to ₹10,000 per day. Some of the individuals hired had prior experience in the industry. The plan involved shooting multiple films over three days at the bungalow near Lonavala, intending to sell them to Indian and foreign pornography websites.
The operation was conducted with careful planning, with transactions primarily conducted in cash. No vehicles were found at the bungalow as the accused arrived at the location via rented cabs. The bungalow was rented without formal agreements or sharing of identity documents. Furthermore, the accused's cell phones were collected and switched off to prevent tracking their locations.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the actors in the pornographic films were made to sign papers and record videos saying they participated willingly.
