PETALING JAYA: An elderly man was left visibly shocked after police came knocking at his door last night to investigate his 40-year-old son - a father of two - for suspicion of possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
The police's visit to the house in Section 17 here was part of "Op Pedo Bersepadu PDRM-MCMC", held simultaneously across six states to arrest those suspected of possessing and distributing CSAM.
The operation was spearheaded by Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) in cooperation with the Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The authorities found suspected CSAM content on the suspect's mobile phone, CDs, and hard drives.
During questioning, the man admitted to watching pornography. However, he claimed he did not understand the gravity of possessing explicit material involving children.
He also claimed that his wife was aware of his habit of viewing pornography.
The suspect, who shares the home with his wife, parents and two children, was taken to the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters for further questioning.
Police also seized a computer, hard drives, CDs, and internet routers as part of the probe.
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.
Bukit Aman's Forensic Laboratory Division (D10) and Technical Assistance Division (D6) assisted in the operation.
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.