Rohan Sandeep Rane, a 29-year-old Indian man accused of leading a neo-Nazi online child exploitation ring, went on trial behind closed doors in Paris on Monday over allegations that girls were forced into sexual acts, self-harm and the production of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, Rane could face life imprisonment. His trial is expected to continue until Friday.
As per reports, Rane is accused of leading CVLT, pronounced “cult”, an online group that investigators say promoted neo-Nazism, nihilism and pedophilia as its core principles. The group allegedly targeted mostly underage girls in the United States, the Netherlands, Britain, Estonia and other countries. Its members included men from Germany, New Zealand and the US who used platforms such as Discord to groom and control victims.
CVLT victims were targeted through threats and blackmail
The case came to light in 2020 through an initiative by the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. The organisation found an online image of a 12-year-old girl with her chest exposed. A user had coerced her into writing the name “Rohan” on her body.
Reportedly, the US Justice Department later detailed the abuse allegedly carried out by Rane and other CVLT members. They collectively pressured children into producing their own child sexual abuse material, often exposing them to extremist and violent content. Targets specifically included children with previous sexual abuse histories or mental health issues.
CVLT pushed girls into increasingly brutal acts
According to the Justice Department, “Victims were encouraged to engage in increasingly dehumanising acts, including cutting and eating their own hair, drinking their urine, punching themselves, calling themselves racial slurs, and using razor blades to carve CVLT members’ names into their skin.”
Reports say that the pressure allegedly went even further, with victims being pushed to “kill themselves on a video livestream”. CVLT members found targets through Instagram and other social media platforms before demanding naked pictures and sexual acts. If girls refused, they allegedly threatened to publish the images or send them to relatives and friends.
CVLT members called themselves ‘warlords’
According to an AFP report citing investigators, the perpetrators also threatened to make fake calls to security services so officers would turn up at the victims’ homes. “For victims who stopped participating in the CSAM, CVLT would sometimes carry through on their threats,” the Justice Department document said.
The members reportedly called themselves “warlords” and often targeted Jewish or black girls, whom they referred to as “slaves”. Victims were allegedly forced to perform sexual acts against their will, including with knives, or carve the names of their tormentors and Nazi symbols into their skin.
CVLT case includes threats against US prosecutors
As per reports, Rane came to France to study before becoming a fitness coach. He was arrested in 2021 and is facing charges including torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion and dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
The Paris proceedings are being held behind closed doors following a request from US authorities. The French court said CVLT had already sought to intimidate victims and witnesses and had threatened prosecutors. Videos showing the torture of victims, most of whom were under 15, were also expected to be screened during the proceedings.
One CVLT member, Kaleb Christopher Merritt, is already serving a 50-year sentence in the US for child sex abuse crimes committed in 2020 and 2021.
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Khalid Lateef is a Sub-Editor at NewsX Digital, specializing in Indian politics and global affairs. He also covers viral trending stories and major crime developments.
The post ‘Forced To Drink Urine, Eat Hair’: Indian Man Faces Life In Prison For Running Pedophilia Cult, Forced Minor Girls Into S*xual Acts; Inside Inhuman Details Revealed appeared first on NewsX.