10 FIRs in 24 hrs for sharing child porn

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 13

For the first time, the Amritsar city police have registered as many as 10 FIRs and booked 28 persons in a single day for allegedly forwarding and sharing objectionable videos of children on social media.

The cases were registered on June 12 following the complaints forwarded by the authorities of messaging mobile apps (applications).

On June 11, the city police booked eight persons in three FIRs under similar offence.

Police officials said the cases were registered on the basis of the complaints, while further investigations would be carried out to nail the perpetrators.

Police Commissioner Dr Sukchain Singh Gill said the state cyber security cell passed on the information regarding the circulation of objectionable and porn videos, especially of children, which prompted the city police to take stern action against offenders besides launching a drive in this regard.

“There is absolute zero tolerance about such acts, especially against uploading, sharing and forwarding child pornography. It is an offence and those involved in it would be dealt with strictly,” he said. “Those who were encouraging any kind of explicit content will attract strict action. Our cyber team has been keeping a watch on different social media platforms for this,” he said.

Cases were registered under Section 67-B of the Information Technology Act at Division D police station, Verka, Sultawind, Civil Lines, Division B, Sadar, Cantonment, Maqboolpura, Division A and Islamabad police stations. State cyber cell officers and station house officers were complainants in these cases.

Police officials said the mobile phones of the accused would be seized for forensic analysis.

Manpreet Kaur Shimar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cyber Crime and Forensic, said cyber cell got the information about sharing of explicit content on different message and video-sharing mobile applications and therefore cases were registered. The accused would be taken into custody for further probe.