Indian man Rohan Rane on trial in Paris for online sexual exploitation and abuse of minors

Paris: An Indian man has gone on trial in France, accused of leading an online group that coerced underage girls into sexual acts and self-harm, media reports said.

The trial of 29-year-old Rohan Rane began on Monday in Paris before a special criminal court and is being held behind closed doors, the state-owned France 24 television network reported.

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Rane, who came to France to study at a business school in Antibes before becoming a fitness coach, was arrested in 2021 and faces multiple charges, including torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion and distribution of child sexual abuse material, the report said.

The trial is scheduled to continue through Friday and, if convicted, he could face life imprisonment, according to the report.

The case began in November 2020 after the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children reported online material involving a 12-year-old girl, it said.

Investigators said Rane was involved in an online community known as CVLT on the Discord messaging platform, whose members promoted neo-Nazi, racist and anti-Semitic views and targeted vulnerable teenage girls, according to Le Monde newspaper.

The group allegedly used "sextortion" to obtain nude images and then threatened victims with their publication or other forms of intimidation, forcing some to perform sexual acts or harm themselves, the newspaper said.

The investigation identified around 100 victims across several countries, including the United States, Britain, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Estonia and the Netherlands, it said.

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Five US women aged between 18 and 21 have joined the case as civil parties and are expected to testify by video link during the proceedings, France 24 reported.

The Paris court ordered the trial to be held behind closed doors after a request from US authorities, citing concerns that the alleged group had sought to intimidate victims and witnesses and had threatened US prosecutors, the report said.