Indiana State Police say 61 people were arrested statewide during August in Operation Guardian Angel, a coordinated child-exploitation investigation that also identified nine children investigators say were experiencing ongoing abuse. The operation was conducted by the department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force from August 1 through August 31, according to WTHR.
The investigation combined peer-to-peer file-sharing cases with undercover online chat operations. Investigators worked from citizen complaints and CyberTips, as well as cases involving newly discovered images and cases in which children were identified without associated images, according to WISH-TV and WRTV.
Hands-On Offenders and Registered Sex Offenders Among Those Arrested
Among those arrested, five were identified as hands-on offenders and six were already registered sex offenders, WTHR reported. Investigators linked 41 children to newly discovered images and identified 47 more children in cases without associated images. Nine children were found to be experiencing ongoing abuse, according to WRTV.
The arrest total came from a larger investigative workload. Indiana State Police reported 237 reactive investigations, which were opened in response to tips or complaints, and 30 proactive investigations initiated by the task force. The task force received 1,653 CyberTips in August, bringing its January-through-August total to 16,643.
National trends behind the reports
The supplied figures do not show how many CyberTipline reports involved Indiana in the latest full year or how that number compared with the prior year. Nationally, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, reports involving generative artificial intelligence technology increased 1,325% in 2024. NCMEC's 2025 CyberTipline data also showed a 158% increase from 2024 in reports categorized as online enticement; those figures measure reporting volume, not the prevalence of abuse.
Public Education Ran Alongside Enforcement
The August effort also included prevention work. Investigators gave 147 internet-safety presentations to an estimated 8,914 people statewide, according to WRTV.
Indiana's figures are part of a broader national response. The federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program reported that ICAC task forces nationwide conducted nearly 347,000 investigations in 2025 and made more than 17,000 arrests.
The available case information does not include names, ages, hometowns or specific charges for the 61 people arrested. It also does not show how the 237 reactive and 30 proactive investigations correspond to individual arrests or identify additional agencies involved beyond the Indiana State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Indiana ICAC Task Force encourages residents to report suspected online exploitation, solicitation or enticement of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
