PARIS: An Indian man went on trial behind closed doors in Paris on Monday, accused of running a neo-Nazi child exploitation ring in which young girls were allegedly coerced into performing sexual acts online and engaging in self-harm.

The group is believed to have abused mostly underage girls in countries including the United States, the Netherlands, Britain and Estonia.

Investigators say the perpetrators were men from Germany, New Zealand and the United States who communicated on the popular messaging platform Discord. They espoused racist and antisemitic views and expressed hostility toward feminists and the LGBTQ community.

Rohan Rane, a 29-year-old Indian national who came to France to study at a business school in the southeastern city of Antibes before becoming a fitness coach, is described by investigators as the group’s leader. The defendant, who was arrested in 2021, appeared in the dock wearing a white T-shirt.

He is being tried on charges including torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion and dissemination of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2026