KUALA LUMPUR: A 39-year-old man, suspected of possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), crumbled and admitted to the offence when police came knocking at the door of his home in Wangsa Maju last night.
The suspect, a freelance designer, offered his admission to Sexual, Women, and Child Investigations Division (D11) personnel from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor police, who stated their intention when they arrived at his home around 10pm.
The policemen were part of the "Op Pedo Bersepadu PDRM and MCMC", a joint operation between police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to nab those suspected of producing and distributing CSAM.
The operation was conducted simultaneously in six states; Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Terengganu, Penang and Perak.
The operation also involved the police's Forensic Laboratory Division (D10), Technical Assistance Division (D6), and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Police said the suspect, a father of one, lived with his parents in the house. It is understood that the man lived separately from his wife and daughter.
The suspect's parents were in the house during the raid.
The suspect claimed to have acquired the explicit materials through a Telegram group, which he paid RM50 to join.
The group contained over 800 explicit photos and videos and had 510 subscribers, mostly sharing local CSAM.
He investigators that he paid to gain access after discovering the group via promotions on social media platform X.
The items seized included his cell phone, a Wi-Fi router, a modem and cables.
It is learnt that the suspect was brought to the Jinjang police station lockup. The case is being investigated under Section 10 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act for accessing child pornography and Section 292 of the Penal Code for possession of obscene materials.
Last week the New Straits Times ran a series of reports 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 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.