The Chhattisgarh police have arrested at least a dozen people for watching, transmitting and uploading of child pornography during the lockdown in the state.
Offences under the Sections of the Pornography Act and the IT Act have been registered against 19 people across the state, a communication issued by the state police headquarters said.
The use of internet, including social media platforms has increased manifold, said a report submitted by the Indian child pornography fund, a not-for-profit organization, it said.
With the use of higher quantum of data, there has been a 95% increase in viewing of the child pornography in the country, during the lockdown, the report by the child pornography watchdog said.
The national crime records bureau (NCRB) through an agreement with the US not-for-profit organization—the national centre for missing and exploited children—is tipped off whatever child pornography content is uploaded on any site from India, said state additional director general of police (in-charge of technical services, planning, provisioning and budget) RK Vij.
The NCRB then passes on the report to different states for further action, he said.
Based on the report, the Chhattisgarh police have acted on it by filing a first information report, followed by the arrests, Vij said.
Between March 6 and April 20, at least 19 offences under different Sections of the Child Pornography Act and the IT Act were registered, he said.
He further said that the highest number of offences have been registered in the capital city, Raipur. Out of the 11 offences registered in the city, eight people have been arrested, the ADG said.
Bilaspur has two offences with two arrests, while Durg has two offences with one arrest, he said.
One offence each has been registered in Raigarh, Dhamtari and Balod but no arrests have been made until now.
Similarly in Sukma, one person was arrest and a case has been registered against him, the ADG said.
Additional inspector general of police Mayank Shrivastava and additional superintendent of police (cyber cell) Kavi Gupta is assisting in tracking the cases, he said.