Two men arrested by Singapore police after Italy busts international child abuse network

SINGAPORE – Two men, aged 27 and 33, have been arrested by the Singapore police for possessing or gaining access to child abuse material.

This follows the arrest of 17 people by the Italian police as part of an investigation into an Italy-based international network that distributed child sexual abuse material online.

Rome’s chief prosecutor announced the arrests on Sept 17.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed on Sept 19 that it had received information from the Italian authorities about an operation targeting a Telegram group that was sharing child abuse material.

Following up on the information received, the SPF arrested the two men for the offence of possessing or gaining access to child abuse material.

The police did not state the nationalities of the men or whether they are known to each other.

Investigations are ongoing.

In Italy, an undercover officer gained the trust of the Telegram group’s administrators, became a co-administrator and gained access to its private channels, AFP reported.

The network was run by four Italians and a Swiss national.

The operation, named Fly Trap, led to a Telegram community called New Saga, which had more than 1,000 users worldwide and required payments in cryptocurrency.

The Italian authorities identified 996 accounts linked to 98 countries and shared the information with foreign authorities, leading to a number of arrests.

In Singapore, those convicted of possessing or gaining access to child abuse material, and know or have reason to believe that the material is child abuse material, can be jailed for up to five years, and fined or caned.