2 men arrested in Singapore as Italian police smash global Telegram child abuse ring
Police arrested two men in Singapore for allegedly possessing or gaining access to child abuse material.The men, aged 27 and 33, are allegedly linked to a recent arrest of 17 people in Italy after local police busted an international child sexual abuse material network, Singapore police told AsiaOne on Sunday (Sept 20).The arrests were announced by Rome on Thursday (Sept 17).Singapore police shared with AsiaOne that they arrested the duo following information provided by Italian authorities regarding an operation to take down the Telegram-based network.Nationalities of the men or their relationship with each other were not revealed. Investigations are ongoing.In a statement by Italian police, the operation, code-named Fly Trap, followed-up intelligence obtained from the US Department of Homeland Security.An undercover officer then infiltrated the Telegram group New Saga, becoming a co-administrator and gaining access to private channels, AFP reported.The network, allegedly run by four Italians and a Swiss national, also saw over 1,000 users within the Telegram group.