PATNA : Close on the heels of recent rape incidents in Delhi and Bihar , Patna Police are planning a crackdown on cyber café , CD parlours , small cellphone and recharge shops where youth get porn movies and clippings downloaded on their mobile phones.

SSP Manu Maharaj said police in the past have made several attempts to limit the availability of pornographic content in the market but with little success. "But under section 67 of Information Technology Act, 2000, whoever publishes or transmits or involved in any way in the porn business can be booked and punished extending to three years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs five lakh."

There are around 500 cyber café , small cellphone and recharge shops in Patna where anyone can get porn movies and clippings downloaded at a very cheap rate. The customers have to just pay anything between Rs 10 and Rs 100 depending on the duration and the quality of the video. S K Puri police station SHO Sanjay Kumar Pandey said, "Such shops are mushrooming especially near schools and colleges where young boys gather in large numbers. According to our input, still images to video footage all are in high demand."

A senior cop said, "Porn movies leave a deep impact on people who have a criminal bent of mind. During investigation of rape cases, it was often found that the rapists regularly watch such movies in their mobile phones. CDs are less in demand because one needs technical set-up for watching such movies in CD form."

A cyber café owner at Sheikhpura said, "As Internet is not accessible to everybody, few boys come to me with such demands. But I do not understand why selling or purchasing it is illegal when the content is easily available on the Internet."

