In a joint operation between the South African Police Service (SAPS) Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) unit and the USA Department of Homeland Security, three individuals involved in online child sexual exploitation have been apprehended in Gauteng.
The arrests were part of a coordinated takedown operation targeting suspects identified as South African users engaged in the possession, distribution, manufacturing, accessing, and downloading of child pornography. The SECI unit, based at the Head Office and in Gauteng, conducted preliminary investigations, identifying suspects across various provinces.
After months of careful planning, SECI executed a simultaneous operation resulting in the arrest of three suspects in different locations in Gauteng. The first, a 63-year-old British citizen in Springs, faces charges related to bestiality and child pornography, including possession, distribution, accessing, downloading, facilitating, viewing, and exposing a child to adult and child pornography. The suspect was found to be in the country illegally.
In Benoni, a 43-year-old South African male was arrested on similar charges related to child pornography, involving possession, distribution, accessing, downloading, facilitating, viewing, and facilitating the distribution of child pornography.
The third suspect, also a 43-year-old South African male, was apprehended in Krugersdorp on charges including possession, accessing, downloading, and viewing child pornography.
As a result of these operations, three South African children who were victims in the commission of these offenses were identified, and a dog was rescued. The SECI unit emphasizes its commitment to ongoing operations to dismantle networks of child sexual predators nationwide.
The arrested individuals appeared before various courts, including Springs, Benoni, and Krugersdorp Magistrates Court in Gauteng on Monday, November 13, 2023. Their cases have been postponed for further investigation and bail applications.
The SECI unit operates under the Detectives division within the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Investigations (FCS) unit. Their mandate includes investigating, tracing, and apprehending serial rapists and electronic crimes related to online child sexual exploitation. The successful collaboration with international partners underscores the global effort to combat online child exploitation and ensure the safety of children.