UP Couple Sentenced to Death for Exploiting 33 Minors and Running Global Pornography Racket
Banda, Uttar Pradesh – In a landmark judgment that has sent a powerful message across the nation, a special POCSO court in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district has awarded the death penalty to a former government employee and his wife. The couple was found guilty of systematically abusing 33 minor boys over a span of ten years and distributing the recordings on international pornographic platforms.
The Background of the Horror The convicts, identified as Ram Bhawan, a former junior engineer in the State Irrigation Department, and his wife Durgawati, turned their residence into a dark hub of exploitation between 2010 and 2020. According to the prosecution, the couple targeted children from economically marginalized families in their neighborhood. They lured the victims—some as young as three years old with promises of food, money, mobile phones, and access to online video games.
A Global Racket Uncovered The case came to light after Interpol flagged child sexual abuse material (CSAM) circulating on the dark web, which was eventually traced back to the couple’s digital footprint. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case in 2020, uncovering a chilling reality: the abuse was not only recorded but sold to customers in over 47 countries.
The Court’s Verdict Additional District and Sessions Judge (POCSO) Pradeep Kumar Mishra described the crimes as falling under the “rarest of rare” category. The court noted the “unparalleled depravity” of the couple, emphasizing that such systematic abuse destroys the moral fabric of society.
“Such offenses not only shatter the lives of innocent children but also shake the soul of humanity. Any leniency in this case would be a travesty of justice,” the court observed while delivering the capital sentence.
Compensation for Survivors Alongside the death sentence, the court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide a compensation of ₹10 lakh to each of the 33 victims to aid in their long-term rehabilitation and psychological recovery.
This verdict stands as a testament to the “Zero Tolerance” policy against crimes involving minors in the state under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath.
