A Paris court on Friday sentenced Rohan Rane, a 29-year-old Indian national, to 20 years in prison for leading the neo-Nazi online network "CVLT", a masculinist group that forced dozens of young girls — most of them minors, many under 15 — to perform sexual acts online and tortured them. Prosecutors had sought a 30-year jail term for Rane, whom they described as a lover of sadism and macabre ultra-violence. The verdict ends a five-day trial that was held mostly behind closed doors.

Guilty of organised extortion with torture as an aggravating factor

The court found Rane guilty of offences including extortion committed as part of an organised gang, with the aggravating circumstances of acts of torture and barbarity perpetrated on the victims. Prosecutors said all of the girls were lured by the "CVLT" group, which was driven by nihilism, racism, antisemitism, Nazi aesthetics, and hatred of feminists and the LGBTQ+ community.

Most of the dozens of victims were American girls, the court was told. About 20 victims were identified, though prosecutors said others could not be contacted. Six of the girls, now aged between 18 and 21, filed official complaints. Other young male members of the group came from the United States, India, Germany and New Zealand.

How the ring operated

The group became active on the Discord messaging platform ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Rane as its leader. According to investigators, vulnerable victims were singled out in online forums and persuaded to send nude images — after which the men threatened to tell their families and school friends unless the girls complied with escalating demands.

Many of the girls, investigators said, were black or Jewish. They were forced to engage in sexual acts or to self-harm with knives — including carving the names of their tormentors, or Nazi swastikas, into their skin. A US Department of Justice court document described the group's core principles as "neo-Nazism, nihilism, and paedophilia".

The case began in November 2020 after a report from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which had found an online image of a 12-year-old girl with her chest exposed, while another user encouraged her to carve the name "Rohan" into her body. Chronicle covered the trial's opening earlier this week.

A trail that led to Antibes

Rane originally came to France to study at a business school in the southern town of Antibes, before becoming a sports coach. He was arrested in 2021 and had faced up to life imprisonment. One member of the network, Kaleb Christopher Merritt, is already serving a 50-year sentence in the United States for child sex abuse crimes committed in 2020 and 2021.

The trial was held largely behind closed doors at the request of US authorities, after the group had sought to intimidate victims and witnesses and had threatened prosecutors. Videos showing the torture of victims, mostly under the age of 15, were screened during the proceedings.

Part of a wider reckoning

The sentence lands amid growing attention in France on online radicalisation and extremist networks. Earlier this year, fresh claims emerged that figures in France's far right sought to cover up past antisemitic comments, a reminder of how hate-driven subcultures continue to surface across the country. Prosecutors in the Rane case stressed that the CVLT network was not an isolated aberration but an organised, ideology-driven enterprise that exploited the reach of social platforms to hunt victims across borders.

Key takeaways

  • A Paris court sentenced Indian national Rohan Rane, 29, to 20 years in prison; prosecutors had requested 30 years.
  • Rane was found guilty of organised-gang extortion with torture and barbarity as aggravating circumstances, as leader of the neo-Nazi online network "CVLT".
  • Most of the dozens of victims were American girls, many under 15; about 20 victims were identified and six filed complaints.
  • The group lured girls on Discord and Instagram, blackmailed them, and forced them into sexual acts and self-harm, including carving swastikas into their skin.
  • The case began with a November 2020 report from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; Rane was arrested in 2021.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Rohan Rane?

Rohan Rane is a 29-year-old Indian national who came to France to study at a business school in Antibes before becoming a sports coach. Investigators identified him as the leader of "CVLT", an online network that coerced underage girls into sexual acts and self-harm.

What was the 'CVLT' group?

CVLT was an online network active on Discord, described by prosecutors as driven by nihilism, racism, antisemitism, Nazi aesthetics and hatred of feminists and the LGBTQ+ community. Members, including men from the US, India, Germany and New Zealand, lured vulnerable minors and blackmailed them with nude images.

What sentence did Rohan Rane receive?

The Paris court sentenced him to 20 years in prison, short of the 30-year term prosecutors had sought. He was convicted of offences including extortion as part of an organised gang, aggravated by acts of torture and barbarity against the victims.

How did the investigation start?

The case began in November 2020 after the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported an online image of a 12-year-old girl being exploited, with another user encouraging her to carve the name "Rohan" into her body. Rane was arrested in France in 2021.

Original reporting by Chronicle Editorial. Key facts sourced from France 24, Dawn and NDTV.