Stories
Indian National on Trial in Paris for Running Neo-Nazi Group Linked to Child Abuse
- •Rohan Rane, a 29-year-old Indian national, is on trial in Paris for allegedly masterminding CVLT, an international online network that sexually abused vulnerable teenage girls.
- •The group operated through Discord, promoting neo-Nazism, nihilism, and paedophilia, and targeted minors as young as 12 using sextortion and blackmail.
- •Rane faces 12 serious charges in France, including torture against a minor, organised extortion, and dissemination of child sexual abuse material, carrying a potential sentence of up to 30 years.
- •The international investigation was triggered in 2020 by the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children after discovering graphic material linked to the network.
Key Questions Answered
Rohan Rane is a 29-year-old Indian national who moved to France to study and work as a fitness coach. He is currently on trial in Paris for allegedly leading CVLT, an online neo-Nazi group on Discord that targeted and sexually abused minors. He faces 12 charges in France, including torture or acts of barbarity against a minor, organised extortion, and the dissemination of child sexual abuse material.
CVLT was an online network operating via Discord that promoted neo-Nazism, nihilism, and paedophilia. Members across multiple countries targeted vulnerable teenage girls using social media like Instagram, acquired nude images, and used sextortion to blackmail victims into performing extreme acts of self-harm, sexual abuse, and mutilation.
The investigation began in November 2020 after the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children shared disturbing material with authorities showing a 12-year-old girl being instructed to carve the name Rohan into her body. This triggered an international operation involving France, the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, eventually leading to Rane's arrest in 2021.
