Couple gets death sentence for dark web abuse

In a landmark ruling, a Pocso court in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced a former government junior engineer, Ram Bhawan, and his wife, Durgawati, to death. The couple was convicted of sexually abusing 33 boys over a ten-year period, with victims as young as three years old. Their crimes extended to selling videos and photographs of the torture on the dark web to clients in 47 different countries.

The court deemed the offenses as 'rarest of rare', citing the extreme physical and psychological trauma inflicted upon the survivors, some of whom required hospitalization for genital injuries and developed squint eyes. The scale of victimization and the convicts' moral depravity left no room for reformation, necessitating the ultimate judicial deterrent.

Ram Bhawan, formerly of the UP jalkal department, and Durgawati lured children with online games and gifts, operating in Banda and Chitrakoot from 2010 to 2020. The investigation gained international traction when Interpol alerted the CBI in 2020 regarding child sexual abuse content on the dark web, leading to the registration of an FIR that October.

Evidence presented included medical expert reports from AIIMS Delhi, digital evidence, and testimonies from the children. The prosecution successfully argued for capital punishment, highlighting that the survivors continue to suffer from the psychological trauma. The court also mandated compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the 33 victims from the Uttar Pradesh government.