A message flashed on the mobile – Over 820 videos for just 99 rupees… It was obvious that this message was an advertisement for selling rape videos, which showed that rape videos are also sold rampantly in the country and this is a horrifying dark truth.
The Kolkata rape-murder case was in the news last August. People are still on the streets demanding justice for the victim and politics continues to dominate this. During the continuous protests, people’s faces were shining in the light of burning torches and mobile phones symbolizing the demand for justice in the dark of the night, and the dark truth was traveling right behind this light. In another part of India, amidst the protests, messages like “rape videos available at low price” were flashing on mobile phones. These included rape, child sexual abuse and other disturbing video content.
The sale of rape videos is nothing new
The sale of rape videos is not new, but with the advent of the internet, it has become easier. Earlier, these videos were shared through CDs and pen drives, but now those selling them are using encrypted apps. These videos are now easily available on apps like Telegram, and payments can be made through online modes like credit cards, Paypal and UPI.
India Today reviewed Google Trends data on these cases and found that whenever a rape case hits the headlines, searches for ‘rape videos’ also increase. Whether it is the rape-murder case in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College Hospital, or the sexual assault allegations against JDS MP Prajwal Revanna before that, or the case of naked parade of women in Manipur… after every incident, searches for the related videos had increased significantly.
There is a huge market for the sale of rape videos
A senior police officer of Delhi Police says on this matter that “There is a huge market of rape videos, and we have seen only the tip of the iceberg.” These videos are also a small part of the larger volume of violent sexual content and there is a demand-and-supply chain at play. People can easily see others facing violence, which reflects a serious problem of our social system.
After the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata on August 9, Google searches for keywords such as ‘rg kar viral video’, ‘dr ****** ****** video’, and ‘dr ******* ****** video real’ have seen a surge. Similar searches have also been seen after the sexual assault allegation against former JD(S) MP Prajwal Renna.
Kolkata, scandal, Prajwal Revanna and Manipur… rape videos were discovered in every case
This report highlights the horrific situation of rape videos being sold and accessed on the internet. Society needs to confront this dark world and take strong steps against it so that the sale and search of such disgusting content can be stopped. Data from Google Trends has revealed that the search for keywords like ‘prajwal revanna video’ and ‘prajwal revanna video download’ has increased sharply after the Prajwal Revanna case. More than 3,000 video clips and photos were leaked after the incident, which made the whole case even more sensational.
A similar trend was also seen after the brutal rape and naked parade of women in Manipur. After this incident, searches for keywords like ‘Manipur women video’ and ‘Manipur women parade video download’ also saw a huge increase.
The search for this type of content is not limited to India, but is also being searched by users from countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. Not every case has an actual video of the crime, but sellers of rape videos online use these keywords to sell unrelated sexual assault and other pornographic content.
Intriguing and surprising messages
India Today found four such groups on Telegram, with thousands of members, linked to the Kolkata rape-murder case. Some of these groups were using the victim’s name and picture, highlighting how sellers lure people interested in watching rape videos. One group, with 3,300 members and using the RG Kar Medical College victim’s picture, read, “Message deleted se pehle sab dekho lo kya hua tha uss raat Dr ******* ke sath.” The message was an attempt to lure people into watching the video.
However, the link provided redirected to a third-party cloud-based platform, TeraBox, where there was only a video of actress Priyanka Chopra reacting to the incident. Telegram is where most of the videos are being sold and shared. Rape videos, child pornography, drug trafficking and many other illegal activities are being allowed to be sold and purchased on Telegram. This also led to the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France last week.
On another Telegram group ‘dr ******* *******cctv video’, a seller offered a list of videos from various series, which included ‘rape’, ‘child pornography’, ‘animal pornography’, ‘forced sex’, ‘young girl’ and many such series.
Payments being made through Paytm-PayPal
During India Today’s investigation, a seller named ‘Dorimon’ was interviewed. He said that he has more than 820 rape videos, which are available for just Rs 99. Thus, the price of one video was just 12 paise, which shows how cheaply rape videos are being sold online. ‘Dorimon’ also shared a Paytm QR code for payment.
When asked how he collected so many videos, he said, “I also bought them from different sellers.” Sellers from India as well as abroad are selling rape and child rape videos to Indians on Telegram. A Portuguese seller, ‘Cpmega’, said that he has 50 rape videos, which are available for $20 (about Rs 1,700).
A senior Delhi Police official explained how these videos are shot and how they eventually reach online sellers. “A common feature in rape complaints these days is that the culprits have made a video of the crime.” Such videos not only testify to the crime, but can also be easily sold by the seller on online platforms.
These videos, which are often made to silence rape victims or to extort money from them, are initially shared among a small group. But once these videos are leaked, they become difficult to stop. Once outside this small group, these videos spread rapidly and eventually reach the open market.
According to experts, places like Delhi’s infamous Palika Bazaar and the lanes of Hazratganj in Lucknow have become hubs for the trade of such videos. Videos of forced sex and rape are openly sold here. “Another situation is now becoming common where rape complaints are filed only when a family member or relative of the victim sees the video of the attack. In these cases, women do not come forward, but when family members see the clips, they file a complaint,” the police officer said.
The officer’s comments also shed light on how widely these rape videos are circulated, even reaching the victims’ families. The officer also said that pornographic videos reach school children through school cab and van drivers.
Who watches these rape videos and why?
There are many reasons behind watching such videos. “There is no particular temperament that drives a particular type of people to watch such videos. These people are among us. But the social system is to be blamed for this,” says Sneha Sharma, a Delhi-based counselling psychotherapist. The social system Sharma refers to includes the lack of sex education and the taboo around talking about sex with young people. For many, pornography and even rape videos become their first introduction to sex. “The violence that is prevalent in our culture is entering our minds. I have many clients who have some violent sexual desires,” she says. Those who go for treatment are a small part of the millions who have these desires.
With the spread of videos of non-consensual and violent sex, sexual violence is becoming normalised. “We don’t know what people are thinking and watching in their private lives. Even people who look normal to us may be socially deviant,” says Dr Sharma. Legal action against the trade of rape videos can be taken under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (BNS), which prohibits the sale or purchase of such videos.
However, it is difficult to trace the source of people selling these videos on Telegram. But not all rape videos may be authentic. A senior cyber crime official from Uttar Pradesh said, “It is not possible to circulate such videos on Facebook or Instagram as it is prohibited due to Meta policies, but all kinds of videos are shared on WhatsApp and Telegram, both of which are encrypted apps.”
The officer indicated that not all the videos available may be real, some clips may be staged. He also said that it is important to check if deepfake technology is being used to create such videos. Police officials and experts say that a large number of rape videos circulating on the Internet may be real. They also suggest that AI can be used to remove these clips.
Triveni Singh, former SP of Uttar Pradesh Cyber Crime Department, says, “Rape videos are being circulated online. Earlier, child pornography was also circulated, but a filter was created to eliminate it. Here AI played an aide. It was used to filter all child pornography. Now there is a national gateway against such videos.”
Cybercrime expert Triveni Singh believes that just as a national filter was created against child pornography, a filter can also be created against rape videos. “The government should create a national filter against rape videos. This will solve the problem of the spread of these videos on all platforms. This is the only way to fix it,”
The paradox in our society is highlighted by the fact that while people are protesting against such incidents, some people are searching for videos of specific sexual assaults. The solution to this problem does not lie only in strict laws but in changing the mindset of the society. Such a change can only come from a change in thinking.
Although technology has made rape videos accessible, the same technology also provides answers to the problem of how the spread of such videos can be stopped.
Reports: Priyanjali Narayan
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)