In March 2024, he is alleged to have engaged in explicit chats with the minor and coerced her into sending obscene images and videos. Investigators further claim that Ahmed intimidated the victim into continuing the sexually exploitative exchanges.
Published May 01, 2025 | 12:19 PM ⚊ Updated May 01, 2025 | 12:19 PM
Child sexual abuse. (Representative image)
Synopsis: The CBI, under Operation Hawk, arrested Sheikh Muizz Ahmed of Mangaluru for allegedly exploiting a U.S. minor via Discord. He coerced her into sharing obscene content and was found with CSAM. In a related case, Delhi’s Mukul Saini was booked for similar offenses. Both cases involve international linkages. Raids recovered incriminating evidence. Further investigation and arrests are ongoing.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recently arrested Sheikh Muizz Ahmed, a Mangaluru resident, for allegedly engaging in online sexual exploitation of a minor girl in the United States of America. The arrest comes as part of Operation Hawk, a coordinated effort launched by the CBI to dismantle international cybercrime networks involved in child sexual abuse, based on intelligence inputs from US authorities.
According to the CBI, Ahmed operated on the social media platform Discord under the username “heisenberg7343.” In March 2024, he is alleged to have engaged in explicit chats with the minor and coerced her into sending obscene images and videos. Investigators further claim that Ahmed intimidated the victim into continuing the sexually exploitative exchanges.
Following the registration of a case by the CBI’s International Operations Division under section 506 of Indian Penal Code as well as section 66D of Information Technology Act, 2000 and section 12 read with section 11 of POCSO Act, 2012.
The agency conducted raids at multiple locations in Mangaluru and Mumbai. A mobile phone and a laptop containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were recovered during the searches. Ahmed was subsequently arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
In a related development, the CBI also registered a case against Mukul Saini, a resident of Delhi, under section 506 of Indian Penal Code as well as section 67 of Information Technology Act, 2000 and section 12 read with sections 11 and 15 of POCSO Act, 2012, for allegedly using several Discord accounts—“Izumi#9412,” “Izumi#7070,” “Deadddd#6873,” and “Arisu”—to exploit a minor girl in the U.S. during 2023–2024.
Saini reportedly induced the victim into sharing obscene material and then threatened to leak the content online if she didn’t comply with further demands. Searches at his residence in Delhi led to the seizure of mobile phones and hard drives containing incriminating digital evidence.
The CBI reiterated its commitment to tackling the growing global threat of online child sexual exploitation. Operation Hawk follows earlier missions such as Operation CARBON (2021) and Operation Megh Chakra (2022), which also focused on identifying and apprehending offenders in child exploitation cases with international linkages.
Further investigations are underway, and more arrests are expected as the crackdown continues.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
