A court in Uttar Pradesh sentenced a former junior engineer and his wife to death on Friday for sexually abusing 33 boys over several years and selling videos of the abuse on the dark web, The Times of India reported.
The couple, identified as PK Mishra and Ram Bhawan, targeted boys aged between 7 and 40, recording and distributing the videos to customers in 47 countries, the court said.
Additional District Judge PK Mishra described the crimes as “extreme moral turpitude” that caused serious injuries and long-term psychological trauma to the victims, some of whom required hospitalization.
The court said the abuse inflicted permanent damage and warranted the harshest punishment, calling the case “the ultimate judicial deterrent.”
The couple allegedly lured children by offering access to online video games and money. Ram Bhawan was found guilty of coordinating the abuse alongside her husband.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case in 2017 after an initial investigation by local police revealed the distribution of child abuse videos on the dark web.
Special public prosecutor Kamal Singh Gautam said some victims suffered severe injuries, with psychological trauma also documented.
The couple was convicted under multiple sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Indian Penal Code.