Operation P-Hunt: more suspects under scanner in Kozhikode

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. As part of Operation P-Hunt, a State-wide drive to track down individuals searching for and sharing child pornography online, the cyber investigation team in Kozhikode city has gathered the details of more suspects and is preparing to initiate stringent legal action. Officials associated with the operation said 27 gadgets seized from suspects over the past eight months are currently being examined by the cyber forensic wing. “There are juveniles, information technology experts, elderly persons and migrant workers among the suspects. They will be arrested once the forensic reports are received,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police S.M. Pradeepkumar, who is leading the investigation. Mr. Pradeepkumar, who is also the Station House Officer of the Kozhikode City Cyber Crime Police Station, said forensic experts would be able to retrieve erased data from the seized gadgets, which would be produced in court as evidence against the suspects. The officer said the involvement of juveniles in accessing child pornography was a matter of serious concern in the city and called for stronger intervention from society and increased vigilance by parents. He added that the police would continue conducting surprise inspections at regular intervals to identify offenders involved in circulating or accessing such material online. “As responsible citizens, anyone who comes across such content has the responsibility to report it directly to the police or Childline. Such videos or photographs received even from anonymous persons should also be reported to the cyber police for safety reasons,” Mr. Pradeepkumar said. He added that the advanced tracking systems now being used by the police were highly accurate in identifying suspected users, and negligence in such matters could land even uninformed persons in legal trouble. According to members of the cyber investigation team, seven cases have already been registered in Kozhikode city following two recent raids. Those found to have been in contact with