An East Windsor Township man is among 79 people who were arrested on charges that ranged from child trafficking to manufacturing child pornography and possession of child pornography, according to New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino.
Dhanendhran Govender, 32, of East Windsor Township, was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography as a result of “Operation Safety Net,” Porrino said last week.
The nine-month-long investigation was led by the New Jersey Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and involved multiple agencies – including the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
The task force, which itself was led by the New Jersey State Police, targeted sex offenders who exploited the Internet and social media, Porrino said. Some of the sex offenders live in other states and sought to have children transported across state lines to have sex with them.
“The men we arrested lurked in the shadows of the Internet and social media, looking for opportunities to sexually assault young children or to view such unspeakable acts by sharing child pornography,” Porrino said.
“We set up a wide safety net in this operation to snare these alleged predators and to protect children, which remains our highest priority,” he said, adding that he wanted to thank the numerous agencies and individuals who participated in the investigation.
Colonel Patrick Callahan, the Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said Operation Safety Net ensured that children would not “fall victim to the acts of these depraved individuals.”
The arrests of the 79 alleged sex offenders should put others on notice that law enforcement “will be relentless in our efforts to put them behind bars,” Callahan said. The only way to stop them is to apprehend them and remove them from the public, he said.
The task force investigated numerous cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and also monitored peer-to-peer file-sharing networks to identify the IP addresses of those who shared child pornography.
Detectives also conducted undercover “chat” investigations on social media, leading to the arrests of men who attempted to lure children, Porrino said.
