Child pornography: Cape Town online sexual predators arrested
Three alleged online sexual predators have been arrested after they were found with thousands of images and videos of child pornography.
Police have arrested yet another child online sexual predator who posed as a teenager to lure underage girls to a chat group where child pornography was distributed.
The man was arrested last week in a joint operation by the SAPS Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) unit and the US Department of Homeland Security.
ALLEGED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY DISTRIBUTORS ARRESTED
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said this brings the total number of child online sexual predators that have been arrested since November to seven.
As previously reported, the other four were arrested in November 2023; three were arrested in Gauteng, and one in KwaZulu-Natal.
Mathe said these arrests form part of an international operation to trace manufacturers, users, and distributors of child pornography.
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THOUSANDS OF IMAGES AND VIDEOS OF MINORS FOUND
Police say the three latest suspects were arrested in Worcester, Kraaifontein, and Mitchell’s Plain in the Western Cape.
A 53-year-old man from Worcester was the first to be arrested on Wednesday, 17 January 2024. He has so far been found with 95,000 images and 6000 videos of child pornography. He faces a charge of accessing, distributing, and possessing child pornography.
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The second suspect, a 40-year-old man, was arrested in Kraaifontein on Thursday, 18 January 2024. He was found in possession of over 149,000 pictures of child pornography as well as more than 5000 videos.
He was found in possession of two unlicensed firearms and various calibres of ammunition, as well as nine snakes, of which three did not have a permit.
The suspect is facing charges of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition, possession, distribution, and access to child pornography.
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The third suspect, a 32-year-old man from Mitchell’s Plan, was arrested on Friday, 19 January 2024. He was found to be chatting and luring underage girls into chat groups where nude pictures were exchanged.
“All suspects appeared before various courts such as Worcester, Kraaifontein, and Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court, where their cases were postponed for further investigation,” Mathe said.
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