SINGAPORE (ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES) – Twenty-one men were arrested in Singapore for sexual offences, including distributing child sexual abuse material and sexual assault, from Feb 24 to March 28.
Among the men – aged between 23 and 61 – was a 43-year-old man, who allegedly paid a young female victim over several years to perform sexual acts over live streams, the police said in a statement on April 4.
Also, a 24-year-old man was nabbed for allegedly exchanging intimate photographs with a young female victim and threatening to publish her photographs online if she stopped sharing.
Police investigations showed that both victims are foreigners based overseas.
The men are being investigated for having, making or distributing child sexual abuse materials, sexual assault involving penetration, threatening to distribute intimate images or recordings, sexual communication with a minor and transmission and sale of obscene materials.
They were nabbed during a five-week cross-border operation targeting online child sexual activities, which involved police from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
In total, 435 people were arrested, and another 109 people are assisting with investigations. They consist of 525 men and 19 women aged between 13 and 68.
Across a total of 269 raids conducted in the six territories, more than 550 electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers and storage devices were seized. Child sexual abuse material created by artificial intelligence tools were also confiscated.
Among the 22 men arrested in Singapore, 11 have been referred to the Home Team Community Assistance and Referral Scheme, where social workers will assess if further intervention is required.
With the internet and evolution of technology, the distribution of child sexual abuse material has accelerated, and become more widespread and anonymous, said Senior Assistant Comissioner Yeo Yee Chuan, who is also the deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Department.
Tough cross-border enforcement and public-private partnership is crucial in taking down such online child sexual exploitation networks and disrupting their activities, he added.
