Suspect hides in room during child porn crackdown

The raiding party inspecting suspicious files on the suspect’s computer. They found more than 3,500 porn materials, including some suspected to be CSAM. - Pic courtesy of police

PETALING JAYA: A 39-year-old man, wanted for suspected possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), chose to hide in his room for 20 minutes when police came knocking at his door last night.

The suspect, who lives in a three-storey townhouse at a gated residence in Sutera Damansara with his sister and elderly mother, eventually opened the door after repeated promptings from the cops.

The raid was part of a massive joint operation, codenamed "Op Pedo Bersepadu PDRM-MCMC" involving Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) and the Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

- Pic courtesy of police

The op, launched simultaneously in 6 states yesterday, saw 13 people arrested for possession and distribution of CSAM.

An initial search of the suspect's computer found more than 3,500 explicit materials, including pornographic videos involving minors.

The suspect's CSAM cache is believed to have been downloaded via BitTorrent links since September 2023.

Investigators also found suspected CSAM content on the suspect's cell phone.

At the same time, the suspect's sister and mother appeared to be in a daze about what was happening.

- Pic courtesy of police

Upon questioning, the suspect, believed to be unemployed, admitted to obtaining some of the explicit content through online games, which he spends a lot of time playing.

The man was arrested while a computer, a cell phone and an internet router were seized.

D11 Assistant Superintendent Paramjit Kaur said police had been monitoring the suspect's activities since September, using the Internet Crimes Against Children — Children Online Protective Services (ICACCOPS) software.

The United States-developed ICACCOPS helps police identify porn purveyors by tracking Internet protocol (IP) addresses, locations and online activities.

The case is being probed under Section 10 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act for accessing child pornography, which carries a penalty of up to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both upon conviction.

The suspect, believed to be unemployed, claimed he obtained some of the content via online games. He was among 13 people nabbed last night in a massive operation to nab those possessing and distributing CSAM materials. - Pic courtesy of police

Bukit Aman's Forensic Laboratory Division (D10), Technical Assistance Division (D6) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) assisted in the operation.

The raids came after the New Straits Times' series of reports last week on the rampant sale of Malaysian-made explicit content, including CSAM, on social media and messaging platforms.

The NST's investigation also showed how CSAM content was being sold for as cheap as RM1 per video, raising concerns among parents over the safety of their children.

Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11) Principal Assistant Director, Senior Assistant Commissioner Siti Kamsiah Hassan had spoken on trends which showed that access to such pornography had made predators even more brazen, with some going to the extent of attempting to abduct children.

She also highlighted how easy access to pornographic content has led to severe addiction resulting in children, some as young as primary school pupils, becoming involved in creating and profiting from CSAM content.

The man was arrested while a computer, a cell phone and an internet router were seized. - Pic courtesy of police

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had told the NST how cybercriminals trafficking in CSAM were exploiting advanced encryption technology to avoid arrest.

Malaysia, it said, has forged alliances with the FBI and other international entities to leverage real-time coordination of operations to shut down priority and high-impact targets. - NST