Over 400 arrested, investigated in multi-national operation against online child sexual exploitation
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
During the operation, police officers raided 382 locations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.
PHOTOS: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
- A multi-jurisdictional police operation arrested 326 and investigated 119 persons for online child sexual exploitation. Seven countries collaborated, raiding 382 locations and seizing materials.
- Police seized electronic devices and child abuse materials, with cases highlighting cross-border payment investigations and NGO referrals leading to arrests.
- Penalties for child sexual abuse material offences are severe. Online content increased 87 per cent since 2019, worsened by Covid-19, with global offenders.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – A multinational police operation across East Asia led to 326 people arrested and 119 investigated for their alleged involvement in online child sexual exploitation activities.
Officers seized 116 computers, 340 mobile phones, 25 tablets, 140 storage devices and 16 routers, including child sexual abuse materials and obscene materials.
Police forces from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea participated in the month-long operation that began on March 23.
During the operation, officers from Singapore’s Specialised Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department raided 382 locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Brunei.
As the offences were expected to be facilitated through digital platforms and cross-border financial channels, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) worked closely with financial institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and technology companies to detect, disrupt and prevent online child sexual exploitation, said the SPF in a news release on April 28.
Those who were arrested or investigated comprised 430 men and 15 women, aged between 12 and 72.
Among them, 11 men – aged between 22 and 44 – were arrested in Singapore.
Another 16 people in Singapore are assisting with investigations for their alleged involvement in offences such as producing and distributing child sexual abuse materials, sexual communication with a minor, and commercial sex with minors.
Preliminary investigations showed eight of the 16 had knowingly accessed, downloaded and possessed child sexual abuse materials via online messaging platforms and peer-to-peer services.
Police officers seized 116 computers, 340 mobile phones, 25 tablets, 140 storage devices and 16 routers, including child sexual abuse materials and obscene materials.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
Deputy Commissioner (Investigation and Intelligence) Zhang Weihan expressed his appreciation to all the officers involved in the operation.
He said: “I would like to acknowledge the strong support from our partners in combating online child sexual exploitation. By bringing together law enforcement efforts and private sector capabilities, we can intervene swiftly to identify and arrest offenders as well as better protect children.”
Cooperation among the police forces led to the investigation of two people in Singapore, aged 26 and 28.
The Royal Malaysia Police discovered that a person in Malaysia was allegedly selling obscene materials to the two people in Singapore and shared the information with SPF.
SPF then investigated the pair, who had allegedly made cross-border payments to access the online child sexual exploitation materials via a Telegram channel.
In another case, two victims were sexually exploited by a foreign offender through an online platform. Acting on an NGO’s information, SPF began working closely with its foreign law enforcement partners to identify the person, who was arrested on March 27, 2026.
The man’s electronic devices were found to contain materials involving the victims, including images of another potential victim.
A person found guilty of producing child abuse materials can be imprisoned for up to 10 years, fined or caned.
Those guilty of distributing and selling child abuse materials can be jailed a maximum of seven years, fined or caned.
A person found guilty of producing child abuse materials can be imprisoned for up to 10 years, fined or caned.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
In October 2024, The Sunday Times reported that the amount of child sexual abuse materials disseminated over the internet had been increasing in recent years. A global threat assessment in 2023 found an 87 per cent increase in such reports since 2019.
The materials are intensely graphic and harrowing, with some involving children performing sex acts on each other or being tortured.
The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 worsened such threats to children as lockdowns and social distancing made it easier for online abuse to happen, said experts.
In October 2024, The Straits Times attended a training session in Hanoi, Vietnam, on reporting online child safety issues. Experts at the session said offenders who download child sexual abuse materials come from all over the world, including from Singapore.
