Croatian police announced that in an international operation, they arrested a 29-year-old Croatian citizen on suspicion of multiple sexual abuse of children and leading an online pedophile group that had over 250 members from various countries.
According to the statement, a reasonable suspicion was established that the suspected male, over a longer period of time, sexually abused a minor female child in a county in western Croatia, to whom he had previously made available child sexual abuse content and repeatedly sexually harassed her.
“By searching devices and digital data storage media, more than 250 photographs and video recordings depicting child sexual abuse were found, and through communication via social networks and chat applications that allow instant anonymized online video communication, he established sexually explicit contact with at least 20 victims in Croatia and a dozen victims from other countries,” announced the Croatian Ministry of the Interior (MUP).
The man from the western part of Croatia is suspected of having created, stored, shared, and administered content depicting child sexual abuse through internet platforms and messaging applications.
The police state that it was established that the suspect also committed five other criminal offenses of exploiting children for pornography and violating a child’s privacy.
“A reasonable suspicion has been established that the perpetrator, through applications with end-to-end (E2E) encryption, organized and managed a group with over 250 members from various countries who exchanged child sexual abuse material with each other, being aware that this was child sexual abuse content and with the direct intention that such content be shared and viewed within the mentioned group,” the police announced.
During communication, the Croatian MUP states, the suspect led the victims to sexually explicit communication and acts, showed them his sexual organ during video contact, and recorded and stored all communication with the victims on his computer without their knowledge.
“Communication between the victims and the perpetrator took place in family homes, at a time when parents were present, and even in the same room, but also via video transmission during school lessons,” the statement said.
The participants of the group, which had more than 250 members from various countries at the time of location, allegedly exchanged content depicting severe child sexual abuse.
The criminal investigation is still ongoing to identify all potential victims and collect digital evidence.
The police appealed to parents and guardians to talk to their children about their online activities, to monitor who and how they communicate with, and to report any suspicion of abuse or inappropriate communication.
MORE TOPICS:
VUČIĆ ON THE FIRE IN ĆACILEND: A pensioner and former DB employee arrested for a terrorist attack!
Source: N1; Foto: Shutterstock