Overview

• Operation Hawk, launched by the CBI with US collaboration, targeted transnational child exploitation networks using social media platforms.
• Sheikh Muizz Ahmed from Mangaluru and Mukul Saini from Delhi were arrested for coercing US minors into sharing explicit content via Discord and Arisu.
• CBI searches in Mumbai, Mangaluru, and Delhi uncovered electronic devices containing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
• Both suspects face charges under the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act, and POCSO Act, with judicial custody secured.
• This operation builds on CBI’s earlier initiatives, Operations Carbon (2021) and Megh Chakra (2022), to combat online child exploitation with international linkages.