Chat group kingpin goes on trial in Paris over online abuse of underage girls

A 29-year-old Indian man, Rohan Rane, has gone on trial in Paris, accused of leading a neo-Nazi child exploitation ring. According to investigators, Rane ran a masculinist chat group on the platform Discord, where young girls, mostly minors, were coerced into performing sexual acts online and engaging in self-harm. The group, which espoused racist and anti-Semitic views, targeted victims in countries including the United States, the Netherlands, Britain, and Estonia.

The trial, taking place at the Paris Assize Court, involves charges including torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion, and dissemination of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, Rane faces up to life in prison. The case was triggered by a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in November 2020, which discovered online images of a 12-year-old girl being abused.

Rane, who came to France to study at a business school before becoming a fitness coach, is said to have been the leader of the group, which included men from Germany, New Zealand, and the United States. According to IOL, five American women, aged 18 to 21, have also joined the trial.

Brief written by urgent.news from RFI English, IOL — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.