Indian-Origin Medical Worker Arrested In US For Sexually Exploiting Children

An Indian origin man has been arrested in the United States' Phoenix over suspicion of sexually abusing minors. The police action against 31-year-old Jaydeep Patel, a former behavioural health technician at Phoenix Children's Hospital, came after more than 1,200 photos and videos of child porn were found on his electronic devices, according to local media reports. 

Patel was arrested on July 17 and charged with nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, with each count being a class two felony, an AZCentral report said. Such felonies reportedly carry a prison sentence of three to 12 and a half years for first-time offenders who are convicted.

The case came to light in 2024, after police received a series of tips online regarding a social media profile that possessed Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM). The tips reportedly came from an Internet Service Provider that is "known for instant messaging on mobile profiles to include chat exchanges and the sharing of images and videos," Fox 10 reported. 

During the probe, police reportedly served a search warrant at Patel's home and on multiple social media accounts tied to his cellphone number. They found several transcripts of explicit messages that the accused allegedly sent, the contents of which were graphic. In some of the chat logs, the accused "openly [requested] child sexual abuse materials for his personal sexual gratification," court documents showed.

Police also found explicit images and videos of minors, in some of which Patel's home or body was also allegedly visible. In nine video files recovered from his social media account, young, grade-school-aged girls were seen either exposing themselves or engaging in sexual conduct, according to documents.

On July 21, Phoenix Children's Hospital issued a statement regarding the incident, claiming Patel had cleared all the standard background checks at the time of hiring. 

"The safety of our patients and their families is our top priority. In accordance with our policies, we conduct thorough background checks during the pre-employment screening process and at regular intervals for current employees. This individual is no longer employed with us, and we are in full cooperation with law enforcement officials," the statement read. 

A judge has reportedly set a cash-only appearance bond of $100,000 for Patel. Should he make bond, he would be subjected to a number of restrictions, including electronic monitoring, curfew restrictions, and a no-exceptions ban on contacting minors. 

The next hearing in his case is scheduled for July 28.