8 teens, teacher among 53 arrested in Ops Pedo

In a nationwide operation, 53 individuals were arrested in Malaysia under the "Ops Pedo" initiative for suspected involvement in activities related to child sexual abuse material. Among the 53 arrests, eight teenagers aged between 13 and 17 were among those apprehended. The eight children, consisting of seven boys and a girl, were found to have produced animated sexual content for sale online and frequently interacted with similar groups via online communities.

The content was allegedly sold to the public through various payment methods, including e-wallets and PayPal. The joint operation, conducted by the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), targeted 92 locations, resulting in 52 successful raids and the arrest of 53 individuals, comprising 51 men and two women.

Of the 53 arrested, 52 were Malaysian citizens, and one was a Bangladeshi national. The operation also uncovered 540,127 files containing child sexual abuse material and 113,066 files of adult pornography. Police opened a total of 52 investigation papers, with 23 charged in court and the remaining 29 under investigation. Among the arrested individuals were two civil servants, a teacher, and a school laboratory assistant, though they were not linked to the eight teenagers.