Indian Man Jailed For 20 Years In Paris Over Global Online Child Abuse Ring

A 29-year-old Indian man, Rohan Rane, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Paris court for leading an international online network that coerced young girls, including minors, into performing sexual acts and inflicting injuries on themselves. The verdict was delivered on Friday, October 9, after a five-day trial held largely behind closed doors.

Rane was convicted of multiple offences, including organised extortion and acts of torture and barbarity against minors. Prosecutors had sought a 30-year prison sentence. According to reports, the court found him guilty of 12 crimes and offences linked to his activities through an online group called CVLT, which operated on the messaging platform Discord.

The group allegedly targeted vulnerable girls, many of them under 15, primarily in the United States, Britain and Canada. Investigators said its members approached victims through social media and online discussion forums, persuaded them to share intimate photographs and then threatened to distribute the images to their families, friends or schools unless they complied with demands.

The victims were allegedly forced to perform sexual acts, self-harm and other degrading acts on camera. Investigators also documented threats involving false emergency calls intended to provoke police interventions at victims' homes. The group reportedly used the term 'slaves' for victims and 'warlords' for its members.

Around 20 victims were identified in the case against Rane, with six women aged between 18 and 21 formally joining the proceedings as civil parties. A wider investigation into similar online networks identified approximately 100 victims across several countries.

The CVLT network reportedly promoted nihilism, neo-Nazism, racism and antisemitism, alongside hostility towards feminists and LGBTQ+ people. Investigators said vulnerable girls were sometimes selected because of their racial backgrounds or political affiliations.

The case began after the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported disturbing online material in November 2020. French authorities subsequently investigated the network with assistance from international agencies.

Rane had moved to France to study at a business school in Antibes before working as a fitness coach. He was arrested in France in 2021 after American authorities shared information about the group.