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IMPHAL, Oct 14: The Court of Special Judge (POCSO), Bishnupur, today remanded three persons to judicial custody in connection with a case involving the alleged possession, circulation, forwarding and hosting of non-consensual intimate videos and photographs of Manipuri women, as well as child sexual abuse material, through Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups.
The accused, identified as Ningthoujam Rajesh alias Maipakchao of Bishnupur; Haobijam Dhanajit alias Taison of Bishnupur; and Khundrakpam Bipin of Thoubal, were produced before the Court by a team of Moirang police station after the completion of their police custody period. The Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for the State submitted that, during the first week of October, reliable sources provided information that certain administrators, creators and active users of multiple Telegram channels and groups were allegedly involved in the unlawful circulation, trading and publication of sexually explicit content, including intimate videos and photographs of women from Manipur.
The content was allegedly distributed and monetised without the knowledge or consent of the victims. The groups and channels were also allegedly involved in sharing and distributing child sexual abuse material, the prosecutor said.
During the investigation, accused Ningthoujam Rajesh was arrested from the Haoreng Chingyang boating area on the night of October 3. As a follow-up action, the other two accused, Haobijam Dhanajit and Khundrakpam Bipin, were also arrested in connection with the case. The investigation reportedly revealed that Ningthoujam Rajesh owned three Telegram channels and was working with one M Clinton, of Bishnupur, who has also been arrested in connection with the case.
Clinton was allegedly a co-owner and administrator of the three channels.
Haobijam Dhanajit allegedly owned one Telegram channel, while Khundrakpam Bipin was an administrator of a WhatsApp group. According to the SPP, the investigation conducted so far indicated that mobile phones seized from the accused were used to circulate sexually explicit videos and photographs through their respective Telegram channels and WhatsApp groups.
The SPP further submitted that judicial custody was necessary given the gravity of the alleged offences and sought remand to facilitate the smooth investigation of the case.
After hearing the submissions of the SPP and examining the case records, the Court remanded the three accused to judicial custody till October 28 to facilitate smooth investigation.