A fourth suspect has been arrested in an ongoing investigation into online child sexual predators, spanning across South Africa.
The 43-year-old man was arrested at a flat in Umbilo in KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, police said.
“He was found with thousands of images and videos of child pornography,” said national SA Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
“He forms part of the 27 online child sexual predators that have been identified in South Africa by a joint international operation led by the SAPS Serial and Electronic Investigations (SECI) Unit and the USA Department of Homeland Security.”
She said three others have been arrested across Gauteng in the past week.
Three days ago, police arrested three men in a simultaneous takedown operation.
These men are allegedly involved in the possession, distribution, manufacturing, accessing and downloading of child pornography.
Mathe said after several months of investigation and planning by SECI, perpetrators were identified in Gauteng and a joint Operation was planned.
The first suspect was arrested in Springs. The 63-year-old British national was found to have been in South Africa illegally and faces charges related to bestiality, where police seized material of him allegedly having sexual intercourse with a dog.
He further faces charges of possession, distribution, accessing, downloading, facilitating, facilitating the distribution and making available child pornography, exposure of a child to adult and child pornography and grooming of a child.
“The second suspect is a 43-year-old man from Benoni charged offences relating to child pornography while the third is a man from Krugersdorp, also aged 43,” Mathe said at the time.
She added that three children used in the commission of the crimes and the dog have been rescued.
“The trio has already appeared before various courts including Springs, Benoni and Krugersdorp Magistrates Court in Gauteng. Their cases were postponed for further investigation and bail applications,” she said.
IOL