Paris Court Hands Indian National 20‑Year Term for Running International Child Abuse Network

A Paris court has handed a 20‑year prison term to 29‑year‑old Indian national Rohan Rane for heading a transnational child‑exploitation gang. The trial began on 5 October 2026 before a special criminal tribunal and was conducted behind closed doors. Prosecutors had asked for 30 years, describing Rane as a neo‑Nazi who glorified sadism and extreme violence. The court found him guilty of organised‑gang extortion, with aggravating factors of torture and barbaric treatment of victims. The group, known as “CVLT”, recruited girls—mostly from the United States—through the Discord chat platform before the Covid‑19 pandemic. Many of the girls were under 15; six of them, now aged 18‑21, lodged formal complaints. About 20 victims have been identified, and the gang also included male members from the United States, India, Germany and New Zealand. Rane arrived in France to study at a business college in Antibes and later worked as a sports coach. He was first arrested in 2021 after US authorities shared information about his leadership of the CVLT network and his expressed desire for sadistic acts. The court’s verdict underscores the seriousness with which French judges are treating online child‑abuse rings linked to extremist ideologies.

Context

The case highlights growing police cooperation across the US, UK, Canada and Europe to dismantle online abuse networks that use platforms like Discord. It also shows French courts’ willingness to impose long sentences for crimes involving sexual exploitation and extremist hate symbols.