Indian net predator may face 20-year jail in US

An Indian engineer,arrested in the US for allegedly using the Internet for soliciting young girls for sex,will be on the dock for a preliminary court hearing.

An Indian engineer,arrested in the US for allegedly using the Internet for soliciting young girls for sex,will be on the dock for a preliminary court hearing today and may face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

Nityanand Gopalika,30,in the country on a work visa,allegedly used an Internet chat room to approach what he believed was a 13-year old girl from the Pittsburgh. The girl was actually an undercover agent from Child Predator Unit,Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has said.

According to the criminal complaint,Gopalika engaged in a series of chats over the next several days,questioning the girl about her sexual experience and describing the sex acts he wished to engage in. Gopalika is also accused of sending the girl two allegedly obscene web cam videos.

He was arrested on July 1 when he arrived at a predetermined meeting location in Cranberry Township.

Gopalika is charged with one count of attempted unlawful contact with a minor (related to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse),a first-degree felony which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a USD 25,000 fine.

There are also two counts of unlawful contact with a minor (related to obscene performances),along with one count of criminal use of a computer,all third-degree felonies each punishable by up to seven years in jail and USD 15,000 fines