Police uncover child sexual exploitation network led by 12-year-old

PARLIAMENT | Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail today revealed a shocking police discovery of a child sexual exploitation ring led by a 12-year-old child.

Saifuddin said police uncovered the activities in an operation conducted this year.

The 12-year-old girl had created a website and subsequently conspired with her friends, forming a network to exploit themselves on social media for views and earnings.

Perhaps most alarming of all was Saifuddin's revelation that the children had amassed a staggering 762 members in their child pornography network.

"This year, 2025, we uncovered and dismantled a school children's gang in cooperation with relevant ministries. She was only 12 years old - the girl who created the website was 12 years old, and she conspired with four of her friends.

"Their WhatsApp group had many members - 762 people. Each child would take photographs of parts of their bodies and then sell them (on social media). They stopped attending school because their earnings were far higher than their parents' income.

"She would take photographs to sell and earn a total monthly income (far) greater than her parents' earnings. Why would she need to continue schooling?" Saifuddin told the Dewan Rakyat today, in replying to questions raised by Sabri Azit (PN-Jerai).

Sabri had questioned Saifuddin on prostitution issues in the country and measures taken by the authorities to address the problem.

Elaborating further, Saifuddin said that such issues involving 12-year-old pupils must be handled jointly with other agencies.

"Therefore, in taking action on cases like this, we must obtain guidance from various other agencies," he added.

On a separate development, Saifuddin said that police had also successfully dismantled "swinger" or partner-swapping activities.

"In August 2024, through infiltration carried out by the D7 gambling and vice prevention unit, we successfully detected a website promoting swinger activities. We subsequently raided a luxury condominium in Kuala Lumpur.

"We arrested public and private university students, civil servants, and foreign nationals. We then opened cases under Section 372 of the Penal Code - the cases and charges are ongoing," he said.

Saifuddin stated that the child sexual exploitation ring was investigated under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, whilst the investigation into partner-swapping activities falls under the Penal Code.

This encompasses five sections: offering prostitution services, engaging in unnatural carnal intercourse, committing obscene acts, prostitution, and distributing obscene material.

Additionally, Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act was applied, along with the Film Censorship Act, particularly when perpetrators produced films or materials for sale or distribution for profit, as well as various state syariah enactments.

Authorities 'not up to mark' on law over AI child abuse content: Activists

'Deepfake tech complicates efforts to fight child sexual abuse material'

Cops nab 20-year-old with thousands of child sexual abuse material

LETTER | M’sia needs specific laws against AI-generated sexual abuse

Cops crackdown on human trafficking, cyber sex crime, gambling

Only a citizen's concerns, Bersatu man says on RM10k fine to party leader

Cops nab 4, seize over 50k in child sex abuse material