Operation Hawk 2025

• Based on intelligence from the US-led Operation Hawk, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has dismantled a cybercrime network involved in child sexual exploitation having global connections.
• The CBI's International Operations Division had registered a case against Sheikh Muiz Ahmed under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and Section 11 read with Section 12 of the POCSO Act, 2012.
• It was revealed that during March 2024, the accused from Mangaluru used the social media platform 'Discord' to exploit a minor girl from the USA.
• The obscene chats and explicit media were allegedly obtained by the accused through inducements and threats.
• Searches were conducted at multiple locations in Mumbai and Mangaluru by the CBI, resulting in the seizure of mobile phones and laptops containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).