Ahmedabad, Feb 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has registered a complaint against 120 online entities for allegedly soliciting prostitution, circulating obscene material, and cheating the public through social media platforms and websites, officials said on Sunday.
In an official note, the Crime Branch said the action was taken following continuous digital surveillance and social media monitoring aimed at tackling online prostitution and the digital exploitation of women.
The entities booked include Instagram handles, Facebook pages and several websites allegedly used to operate illegal escort service rackets and mislead citizens.
According to investigators, specialised technical analysis revealed a coordinated network of social media profiles and web links active in Ahmedabad. These profiles allegedly displayed obscene photographs and videos of women to attract customers.
Officials said the investigation also uncovered the misuse of artificial intelligence tools to generate and circulate obscene content under the guise of escort services, a method increasingly being used to evade detection and lure potential victims.
The Crime Branch said the profiles advertised specific hourly rates and night-stay charges for services in Ahmedabad and shared mobile numbers and UPI IDs to facilitate illegal transactions.
Preliminary inquiries indicate that individuals were persuaded to make online payments through UPI and were later cheated, resulting in financial losses. “These activities are not only illegal but also seriously undermine the dignity of women by depicting them in a derogatory manner on public platforms,” the press note stated.
To safeguard the privacy of victims and prevent tampering with digital evidence, the FIR has been classified as “sensitive”.
The case has been registered under multiple legal provisions, including sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to insulting the dignity of women, public obscenity, and cheating, as well as relevant sections of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
A senior Crime Branch official said the case also reflected wider concerns about the misuse of emerging technologies.
“There has been a noticeable rise in complaints about AI-generated explicit material being misused online in recent days. Similar concerns have been raised on other platforms as well, highlighting the need for stronger monitoring and enforcement,” the officer said.
The Crime Branch has appealed to the public to remain vigilant and avoid interacting with unverified social media profiles or transferring money to unknown UPI IDs.
Further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend those responsible for operating and benefiting from the alleged racket, officials said.
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Source: IANS
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