A 29-year-old Indian national, Rohan Rane, went on trial in Paris on October 5, 2026, accused of running a neo-Nazi child exploitation ring. The ring allegedly coerced young girls into performing sexual acts online and engaging in self-harm. Rane, who came to France to study at a business school before becoming a fitness coach, is described by investigators as the group's leader. He was arrested in 2021 and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
The group, dubbed CVLT, 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 anti-Semitic views and expressed hostility toward feminists and the LGBTQ+ community. The group's members called themselves "warlords" and referred to their victims as "slaves."
The case was triggered in November 2020 by a report from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The child protection organisation discovered online images of a 12-year-old girl with her chest exposed while another user encouraged her to carve the name "Rohan" into her body. This led to an investigation that showed the group's members attracted vulnerable minors via Instagram or other social media platforms and persuaded them to send naked pictures.
The ring members then forced their victims, often Jewish or black girls, to perform sexual acts against their will, including with knives, or to carve the names of their tormentors or Nazi swastikas into their skin. They also incited their victims to commit suicide by drinking bleach or by strangling themselves with a belt or leash. Five American women, between the ages of 18 and 21, have joined the case as civil parties and were expected to testify by video link.
The Paris criminal court ordered the trial to be held behind closed doors, following a request from US authorities. The court defended its decision by explaining that the group had already sought to intimidate victims and witnesses and had threatened US prosecutors. The trial is scheduled to run through Friday, and videos showing the torture and humiliation of victims are expected to be screened during proceedings.
Rohan Rane is being tried on charges including torture or acts of barbarity against minors, organised extortion, and dissemination of child sexual abuse material. His lawyer, Hippolyte Marquetty, had unsuccessfully opposed the closed-door proceedings. Marquetty's clients believe it is essential to raise awareness of the dangers that teenage girls face on social media.
The trial highlights the growing concern about online child exploitation and the need for international cooperation to combat such crimes. If convicted, Rane faces up to life in prison. One of the group's members, a 26-year-old US citizen, has already been sentenced in his home country for having abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl in 2021.
Key points
- Rohan Rane, a 29-year-old Indian national, faces life in prison for allegedly leading a neo-Nazi child exploitation ring.
- The group, dubbed CVLT, is believed to have abused mostly underage girls in several countries, including the United States and the Netherlands.
- The trial was held behind closed doors due to concerns about the group's attempts to intimidate victims and witnesses.
