SINGAPORE, April 27 — Eleven men have been arrested in Singapore as part of a massive cross-border operation targeting online child sexual exploitation, which saw over 300 people nabbed across seven regions, including Malaysia.

The four-week operation, which ran from March 23 to April 17, involved coordinated raids by police in Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand, CNA reported.

In a news release on Tuesday, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said officers raided 382 locations across the seven regions, arresting a total of 326 people. Another 119 individuals, including 16 in Singapore, are assisting with investigations.

The 445 individuals arrested or under investigation comprise 430 men and 15 women, with ages ranging from 12 to 72.

Authorities also seized hundreds of electronic devices containing child sexual abuse materials and other obscene content.

“Such offences are often facilitated through digital platforms and cross-border financial channels. Hence, a close partnership with industry partners is critical,” SPF said.

The Singapore connection

The 11 men arrested in Singapore are aged between 22 and 44. They are suspected of a range of offences, including producing and distributing child sexual abuse materials, sexual communication with minors, and threatening to distribute intimate images.

Early investigations found that eight of them had knowingly accessed and downloaded such materials through online messaging platforms and peer-to-peer services.

In one case highlighted by the SPF, information from Malaysian police led to the investigation of two men who were making cross-border payments to a Telegram channel allegedly selling obscene materials.

Another case, which came from a referral by a non-governmental organisation, involved a man who was found with materials showing two victims being sexually exploited by someone overseas.

Singaporean police worked with their foreign counterparts to identify and arrest the offender on March 27.

Under Singaporean law, anyone convicted of producing child abuse material faces up to 10 years in jail and caning.