Florida

An Indian man was arrested in Florida for allegedly attempting to engage in sexual activities with a minor, a statement from the US Attorney's Office said on Thursday (Dec 19). The 24-year-old man named Kirtan Patel is originally from the Indian state of Gujarat and was nabbed in July this year. 

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Patel is facing a minimum of 10 years in prison, and that may get extended to life imprisonment. The exact date of the sentence has not been decided yet. 

He was among 33 men of varied nationalities who were caught during a sting operation by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) with the help of the Ocala Police Department, Chiefland Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Patel was arrested after he approached a girl who he thought to be a 13-year-old. It was, in reality, an undercover officer posing to be the minor and "seeking to engage in sexual activity”.

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The accused allegedly engaged in “sexually explicit conversations and graphically described the sexual acts”.

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As per the indictment, between May 22 and 24, Patel approached an individual thinking it was a minor girl to engage in sexual activity. On July 18, he travelled to a location in Marion County to do the act with the child when he was nabbed. It was revealed that, including Patel, 33 men had “actually travelled to have sex with minors” and were arrested. 

“Many of these (arrested) men arranged to meet with what they thought was a child between the ages of 13-15 years old. Some of them even travelled from outside of Florida to arrange meeting places. Deputies and detectives seized guns, drugs, cash, and vehicles from these offenders, and more arrests are expected as detectives follow up with various cases," the MCSO said in a statement. 

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“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims,” it further added. 

(With inputs from agencies)