Special Court in Prayagraj sentences child abuse convict to six years of imprisonment

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) A special court in Prayagraj sentenced a convict to six years of imprisonment on Friday for child sexual abuse and for posting photos and videos of the explicit acts on social media platforms to make quick money, officials said.

The CBI had booked Mohd Zaki in 2021 in a case of sexual abuse of minor girls and online circulation and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

After a thorough investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet on December 31, 2022 alleging that Zaki, an electrician, sexually exploited at least four girls in the age group of six to fourteen and shared the child abuse material on social media platforms, including Instagram.

"The Court, after the trial, has convicted and sentenced the accused Mohd. Zaki to six years' imprisonment with a fine of Rs 55,000... The Ld. Trial Court also awarded compensation of Rs. 1,15,000 to the victim," CBI spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.

The Ottawa-based National Central Bureau of Canada detected the online material and alerted the CBI through Interpol.

During the investigation, the CBI traced four of the five alleged victims who narrated their ordeal to the agency sleuths, based on which Zaki was arrested and is currently in judicial custody, they said.

"In the investigation and analysis of data of electronic devices recovered from the possession of the accused, it was found that the accused was involved in the sexual abuse of minor girls. It was also revealed that he was sharing photographs and videos of sexual exploitation of the victims on social media platforms," the CBI spokesperson said after filing the chargesheet in 2022.

The officials said Zaki's role was found in acts such as aggravated sexual abuse and using children for pornographic purposes, it said. PTI ABS ABS KSS KSS