Prit Pankaj Jain, 31, faces charges after investigators said he traveled from Mumbai, India, to Davidson County to contact a juvenile girl with whom he had an online relationship. (Davidson County Sheriff's Office)
DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. - A 31-year-old man from Mumbai, India, was arrested after investigators said he concealed his identity online, posed as a younger male and traveled to the United States to re-establish contact with a juvenile girl.
The backstory:
Deputies with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Meadowlands community in northern Davidson County following a reported verbal disturbance. An Uber driver told deputies that an adult male passenger was allegedly stalking a juvenile female.
Deputies identified the man as Prit Pankaj Jain. He told investigators he was attempting to leave gifts for a female with whom he had been in an online dating relationship. Deputies determined that the female was a juvenile.
Detectives with the sheriff’s office’s Criminal Investigations Division interviewed Jain while digital forensic specialists examined mobile devices belonging to him, according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation allegedly found that Jain had misrepresented his age and identity through social media applications before entering into a long-term online relationship with the juvenile. After she learned Jain’s true identity, she ended the relationship and blocked further communication, investigators said.
Jain subsequently traveled from Mumbai to the United States in an attempt to re-establish contact with the juvenile, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dig deeper:
Jain was arrested and charged with four counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of sexual extortion.
He was ordered held without bond at the Davidson County Detention Center. Jain appeared in Davidson County District Court on Sept. 25, where a judicial official ordered that he remain in custody without bond.
What's next:
Jain is scheduled to appear in Davidson County District Court on Oct. 6.
The Source: The information in this story came from a statement posted by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. Details were provided by the agency’s Patrol Division and Criminal Investigations Division, including the allegations, charges, digital forensic examination and court status of Prit Pankaj Jain. This story was reported from Los Angeles.