An Indian man has been charged after allegedly grooming and sexually abusing a Western Australian child starting when she was just 11 years old.
WA Police said that detectives from Child Exploitation Operations were told in 2023 that an 11-year-old was allegedly the victim of online grooming, sextortion and other online offences on Instagram and Whatsapp from a person she met online in 2020.
The alleged abuse continued over several years and allegedly caused severe trauma to the girl.
“Detectives from CEO commenced and investigation and were able to ascertain that the alleged offender resided in India. Detectives provided the results of their investigation to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC),” police said in statement.
“After further inquiries the matter was referred to Indian Authorities via Interpol. India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested and charged a man from Indore, Madhya Pradesh in relation to this investigation.”
WA Police said the CBI used advanced geolocation techniques to track the man and execute a search warrant where they seized incriminating materials.
The accused paedophile was charged in relation to criminal intimidation, transmitting of material depicting children in sexually explicit act, and sexual harassment upon a child with sexual intent.
