Inside ‘Rarest Of Rare Child Sex Horror’ Case- Who Are Rambhawan And Durgawati, Convicted UP Couple Sentenced To Death; How They Trapped 33 Children?

In a landmark verdict, a POCSO court in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced a couple, Rambhawan (50) and his wife Durgawati (47), to death for sexually assaulting 33 children, some as young as three years old. The case has been described as the “rarest of rare” due to the scale, depravity, and systemic nature of the crimes.

Who Are Rambhawan and Durgawati?

Rambhawan, a junior engineer in UP’s Irrigation Department, and his wife Durgawati operated in Banda and Chitrakoot districts between 2010 and 2020. 

While Rambhawan presented himself as a trusted member of the community, the couple carried out heinous sexual crimes against boys, systematically abusing and filming them over a decade. 

The accused were convicted under multiple sections of the POCSO Act and the Indian Penal Code, including aggravated penetrative sexual assault, using children for pornographic purposes, storage of child sexual abuse material, abetment, and criminal conspiracy.

How the Couple Trapped Children

The investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) revealed that Rambhawan lured children through online video games, gifts, money, mobile phones, chocolates, and watches, building trust before committing sexual assaults. 

The couple also threatened victims and their families with the content, forcing them to remain silent for years. A rented room in Chitrakoot served as the base of their operations, where abuse was not only committed but also recorded and systematically uploaded online.

The victims endured physical injuries, eye problems, and severe psychological trauma, with some living in hospitals for years after the assaults. The CBI ensured that survivors were medically examined, counseled, and supported throughout the investigation, while digital evidence was carefully preserved to build a watertight case.

Digital Operation and Global Reach

Rambhawan and Durgawati ran a systematic digital operation to sell the recorded abuse, circulating over 2 lakh videos and photographs of the victims across nearly 47 countries. 

Investigators recovered a pen drive containing 34 videos and 679 images, and forensic examination of multiple mobile numbers and email IDs linked the couple to global distribution of child sexual abuse material. Interpol assisted in tracing some of the content to the dark web and international buyers, highlighting the commercial scale of their crimes.

Court Verdict: “Rarest of Rare”

The court described the crime as exceptional in both scale and depravity, noting that it affected multiple victims across districts and demonstrated extreme moral turpitude. “The sheer scale of this victimisation, combined with the extreme moral depravity of the convicts, marks this as a crime of such an exceptional and heinous nature that it leaves no room for reformation, necessitating the ultimate judicial deterrent to meet the ends of justice,” the court held.

In addition to the death penalty, the government was ordered to pay Rs 10 lakh to each survivor, and any money recovered from the couple’s assets was to be distributed among the victims.

Ongoing Trauma and CBI Commitment

Many survivors continue to suffer psychological trauma even after the conviction. The CBI emphasized that this case underscores its ongoing commitment to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting cases of child sexual abuse. The agency called the verdict a landmark in protecting the rights and dignity of children while sending a strong message against systemic exploitation.

ALSO READ: Who Is KN Nehru? Madras High Court Orders Immediate FIR In ₹365 Crore Cash-for-Jobs Scam; DMK Decries ‘Political Vendetta’ Over ED Case