BLOOMINGTON — A 20-year-old Indiana University student faces multiple felony charges following a monthslong investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across digital platforms.
Ashwin Vishwanath Veerappan was arrested on February 22 and charged in Monroe County with three counts of child exploitation, a Level 5 felony.
The investigation began in Minnesota with a detective from the Owatonna Police Department who maintains an undercover presence on apps used to distribute illicit material.
According to court documents, the detective was contacted on April 2, 2025, by a user on the messaging app Kik using the handle “AshVpn.” The user allegedly:
- Identified as a 28-year-old male.
- Actively sought to trade explicit material involving children.
- Provided a video of child sexual abuse in exchange for contact information.
The Minnesota detective successfully deployed a tracking link that traced the user’s IP address directly to the Indiana University network, prompting the detective to forward the case to the IU Police Department (IUPD).
Digital Trail Leads to Bloomington
As IUPD took over the case, Kik’s parent company flagged the account “AshVpn” for uploading more than two dozen suspicious files. This information was submitted to the Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Investigators meticulously pieced together Veerappan’s identity through a combination of digital footprints:
While some addresses belonged to Verizon, the majority were linked to IU’s campus network.
In February 2026, a warrant served to Verizon revealed a New Jersey billing address and phone number.
IU officials cross-referenced the New Jersey address and phone number, confirming they belonged to Veerappan. The Verizon account was reportedly registered to his mother, with Veerappan listed as a secondary user.
On February 13, 2026, detectives observed Veerappan leaving a campus classroom and followed him to an apartment complex in Bloomington, where they confirmed he held a lease.
Following the conclusion of the surveillance and evidence gathering, Veerappan was taken into custody on February 22. He currently remains processed through the Monroe County court system.
