326 arrested in cross-border crackdown on child porn

Hong Kong police said on Monday that they've worked with their counterparts in six regional countries in arresting 326 people on suspicion of producing and possessing child pornography, as well as other sex-related crimes. The arrests were made in the past month in the SAR, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia and Brunei. A Hong Kong cybersecurity superintendent, Ferris Cheung, said nine men, aged between 18 and 61, were arrested in the SAR in the joint operation. "Police seized 15 computers and external hard disks as well as eight phones from the suspects and their homes. During our preliminary inspection, officers found more than 200 videos and pictures of child pornography," she told a press conference. "We believe that they downloaded the materials through social media platforms, websites or point-to-point sharing software." Police are also linking one of the suspects, a 28-year-old man, to an indecent assault case dating back to 2023 and 2024. Officers said the victim, a 12-year-old boy at the time, was assaulted on several occasions. The police said the suspect and the alleged victim got to know each other online. Officers called on parents to help prevent cybercrimes by building relationships of mutual trust with their children and offering them guidance over the use of social media. Edited by Edmond Fong