Ops Pedo 2.0: Cops nab 31 including minors, nearly 900k files seized

Police have crippled a major online child sexual abuse network through a special nationwide operation codenamed Ops Pedo 2.0, which saw 31 suspects arrested and more than 880,000 digital files seized.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail said the integrated operation, jointly carried out by the police and the MCMC on Sept 23, uncovered disturbing levels of child exploitation activity in cyberspace.

“This operation shows our firm commitment to combating crimes involving child sexual abuse material.

“Such offences not only threaten the safety and well-being of children but also undermine public harmony and national security,” Khalid said during a press conference at Bukit Aman.

He said Ops Pedo 2.0 was the result of months of cyber intelligence and dark web monitoring by the police’s Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11), with strategic support from MCMC, international enforcement agencies, and tip-offs from members of the public.

The week-long operation, carried out between Sept 22 and 30, targeted 37 locations nationwide and involved 206 officers and personnel from 14 police contingents and MCMC.

“Out of 37 targets, 31 suspects were successfully detained - including 25 primary targets and six follow-up arrests.

“They are all men aged between 12 and 71, coming from diverse backgrounds such as teachers, engineers, graphic designers, cooks, students, and the unemployed,” Khalid said.

Of those arrested, six are minors aged between 12 and 17 years old.

Khalid said police have also opened 29 investigation papers for selling, purchasing, or sharing child sexual abuse material; accessing or possessing child sexual abuse material; selling, distributing, renting, advertising, or exhibiting obscene materials to the public; and not possessing a valid pass or travel permit.

The offences fall under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017; Section 292 of the Penal Code; and Section 6(1)(c), Immigration Act 1959/63.

He added that 17 suspects have since been charged in court between Sept 24 and Oct 10, while 14 others have been released on bail.

Fifteen of the suspects have pleaded guilty and were fined between RM1,000 and RM10,000, while two suspects claimed trial.

A total of 82 digital devices, including computers, mobile phones, and storage drives, were seized.

Initial analysis found over 880,000 digital files containing child sexual abuse material and adult pornography - a staggering 20-fold increase compared to Ops Pedo 1.0 conducted in December 2024, which uncovered only 40,000 files.

RM76k over 9 months

Elaborating, Khalid said the crime’s modus operandi involved the suspects accessing and downloading child sexual abuse material through Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, the dark web, and cloud storage platforms.

“Some of them acted as Telegram group administrators, offering paid access to child sexual abuse material through e-wallet transactions and QR banking codes, including AmBank and Touch ’n Go,” he said.

Describing the situation as a troubling moral decline, Khalid revealed that one of the suspects arrested, a 17-year-old, recorded financial transactions amounting to RM76,000 over the first nine months of 2025.

He went on to reaffirm the police’s commitment to strengthening its strategic collaboration with MCMC as well as national and international agencies to ensure that children are protected from all forms of exploitation, abuse, and discrimination.

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