Indiana University student charged with child exploitation after undercover online exchange

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 20-year-old Indiana University student was arrested after authorities say he tried to trade dozens of videos depicting child sexual abuse.

According to Fox 59, Ashwin Vishwanath Veerappan faces three felony counts of child exploitation in Monroe County.

Police say the investigation began when a Minnesota detective, working undercover on apps used to share illegal material, spotted suspicious activity linked to Veerappan.

Investigators traced some of the exchanges to IP addresses tied to Indiana University, prompting the university’s police department to take over the case in April 2025. Court records say Veerappan used the name “AshVpn” on Kik Messenger to attempt trades of videos involving minors.

Fox 59 reports that Kik and its parent company flagged the account after more than two dozen files were uploaded, alerting the Indiana Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Some IP addresses were connected to Verizon accounts, helping detectives identify Veerappan through a New Jersey address and phone number associated with his family.

Authorities say detectives confirmed he lived in a Bloomington apartment and arrested him on Feb. 22. His initial court hearing is scheduled for Friday.