Paris court sentences Rohan Rane to 20 years over CVLT Discord abuse ring

The verdict

A Paris court on Friday 9 October 2026 sentenced Rohan Rane, a 29-year-old Indian national, to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors had sought 30 years. According to Le Monde, the court found him guilty of twelve crimes and offences, including torture or acts of barbarity against a minor under 15. The convictions include extortion committed as part of an organised gang, with aggravating circumstances of torture and barbarity committed in particular against minors. Ouest France reported that Rane listened to the verdict read by the presiding judge, nodding occasionally with his hands joined in a triangle. The trial ran for five days, mostly behind closed doors, a step the judges ordered because the case involves the abuse of children.

How the group operated

The group, known as CVLT or "Cult", was active on the Discord platform and formed during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Rane as its leader, according to the investigation. Investigators describe its members as young men from India, Germany, New Zealand and the United States, driven by nihilism, racism, antisemitism, Nazi aesthetics and hatred of feminists and the LGBTQ+ community. Prosecutors said the men picked out vulnerable victims on online forums and persuaded them to send nude images. Once the images were sent, the men threatened to tell the girls' families and school friends. Investigators depict Rane as the "main instigator" of the videos, a translation of the French phrase "donneur d'ordre principal". The victims were forced to perform sexual acts or to self-harm with knives, including carving the name "Rohan" or a swastika into their skin, while the men insulted and jeered them and called themselves "war lords".

Victims and the case

Most of the victims were American girls, and many were under 15 at the time of the abuse, according to France 24 and Ouest France. Prosecutors said about 20 victims have been identified, while others could not be contacted. Six of the girls, now aged between 18 and 21, joined the case as civil parties. One 26-year-old American group member has been jailed in the United States for the 2021 rape of a 12-year-old. The Associated Press reported that at least three other members of the group have been arrested in the United States. Court documents obtained by the AP show that the victims were recruited through Discord and coerced into producing violent and sexual videos.

Arrest and background

Rane was born in the Indian city of Pune. He told authorities that he arrived in France in 2016 to study and that he relied financially on his parents in India. He was arrested by police in Antibes in southern France in 2021, after alerts from U.S. authorities. Initially he claimed the situation was a "misunderstanding", but he later admitted to being the administrator of the Discord group and said he enjoyed watching violent videos. Court documents show that he continued to communicate with others on Discord while in custody and that similar images were found on his phone. A psychiatrist who evaluated him described him as being in a state of denial. French authorities chose to complete criminal proceedings in France before considering extradition.