CBI finds 66 videos, 610 pictures of kids

KANPUR : The examination of eight pen drives and several cell phones that irrigation department junior engineer Ram Bhavan Singh was said to be using have given the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) 66 videos and 610 photographs of the children whom he allegedly sexually abused.

CBI had arrested Singh from Banda on Monday for allegedly sexually abusing children over the past 10 years and selling videos and photos of his nefarious acts on the dark net to other paedophiles across the globe, officials of the premier investigating agency had said on Tuesday.

CBI officials have informed the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act court in Banda about the recovery, said people aware of the development on Wednesday, adding the court sealed the case diary in order to protect the

identities of the children.

These videos and pictures of children, said to be between five years and 15 years of age, are from mainly Hamirpur, Karvi and Banda districts of Bundelkhand, said an official who asked not to be named.

The engineer, who is from Kharaunch village under Naraini tehsil in Banda, allegedly targeted 15 children in Banda, the official said, adding that most of them were wards of his own relatives. Married for 18 years, Singh was issueless and trapped the children allegedly by showering affection on them, he added. The junior engineer had remained posted in Karvi, Chitrakoot for the last 11 years.

His relatives could not assess his ulterior motive, thinking he was making up for being childless, the official said.

Apart from the videos and pictures, the CBI found a num

ber of compact discs and videomaking equipment, he said.

The CBI team reached Chitrakoot late Tuesday night and stayed in a state guest house, where it summoned the employees and engineers of the irrigation department to question them. Officials said none of them showed up till the morning and they could be officially summoned later.

CBI was pursuing Ram Bhavan since November 2, when it first arrived in Karvi, Chitrakoot, and stayed there till November 6. In this period, the CBI team questioned another junior engineer Ram Prasad about Ram Bhavan.

Ram Prasad, according to officials, called Ram Bhavan for questioning. Later, his driver, identified as Abhay, was asked to join the investigation. In addition, the team visited the irrigation department colony near Mandakni bridge and met several departmental officials. The CBI team left Karvi on November 6 evening with Ram Bhavan.