Highlights
- Indian national Rohan Rane, 29, is on trial in Paris over alleged child exploitation
- Investigators describe him as a leader of the online group CVLT
- Rane came to France to study at a business school in Antibes and later worked as a fitness coach
AN INDIAN man accused of leading an online neo-Nazi group that allegedly sexually exploited and tortured underage girls has gone on trial in Paris.
Rohan Rane, 29, appeared before a Paris criminal court on Monday (5) in proceedings being held behind closed doors. French investigators describe him as a leader of CVLT, an online group whose members allegedly used social media and Discord to target vulnerable girls.
Rane moved to France to study at a business school in Antibes, in southeastern France, before later working as a fitness coach. He was arrested in 2021 and has remained in French custody.
He faces charges including torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion and dissemination of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment.
The allegations against Rane form part of a wider international investigation involving victims and suspects in several countries. French investigators have linked about 20 victims to Rane, while the wider network is believed to have affected around 100 victims, according to French reporting.
Group used blackmail against girls
The case first came to light in November 2020 after the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported suspected child sexual abuse material.
Investigators found images involving a 12-year-old girl in which another user allegedly encouraged her to carve the name "Rohan" into her body.
According to a US Justice Department court document, CVLT promoted "neo-Nazism, nihilism, and paedophilia as its core principles". Members allegedly recruited vulnerable children through platforms including Instagram before persuading them to send intimate images.
Those images were then allegedly used to blackmail the victims. Investigators say members threatened to publish the material or use false emergency calls to send armed police to victims' homes, a tactic known as swatting.
Victims were allegedly pressured into increasingly violent acts, including sexual activity, self-harm and the creation of abusive videos.
French investigators said Rane's alleged victims were aged between 12 and 18, with many in the US and Britain. The wider investigation has involved law enforcement agencies from several countries, including France, the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Neo-Nazi and extremist ideology
Investigators say CVLT members described themselves as "warlords" and referred to their victims as "slaves" or "housewives".
The group promoted racist and antisemitic views and hostility towards women and LGBTQ+ people. Some victims were allegedly targeted because of their backgrounds, including girls who were Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Mexican or black, according to the French investigation.
Rane has been described in French media as a self-declared fascist. Investigators also say he developed a system in which victims were manipulated and threatened after being drawn into his online community.
US prosecutors have separately accused Rane of involvement in CVLT. A US Department of Justice statement said members of the group worked together to "entice and coerce children" into producing child sexual abuse material and engaging in self-harm.
Trial held behind closed doors
The Paris court ordered the proceedings to be held privately after US authorities raised concerns about the safety of victims and witnesses.
The court said the group had allegedly attempted to intimidate victims and witnesses and had threatened US prosecutors. It also noted that videos showing the alleged abuse were expected to be presented during the proceedings.
Five US women, now aged between 18 and 21, have joined the case as civil parties and are expected to give evidence by video link.
Their lawyer, Hippolyte Marquetty, had opposed the closed-door proceedings, arguing that the victims wanted the case to raise awareness of the dangers faced by teenage girls online.
The trial is scheduled to continue until Friday (9).
Rane remains in French custody. His case is also connected to a separate US prosecution, where American authorities have sought his extradition over alleged child exploitation offences.
(with AFP inputs)
