KUALA LUMPUR: The Ops Pedo spearheaded by Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women, and Child Investigations Division (D11) is crucial to ensure the safety of children and combat crimes that harm our community.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said the operation had also focused on tackling online paedophilia activities, which involved collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
"I would like to extend my highest congratulations to the police, especially the D11, for the successful execution of Ops Pedo.
"The operation focused on tackling online paedophilia activities and such swift and effective actions are crucial to ensure the safety of children and combat crimes that harm our community," she said in a statement today.
Last night, police and MCMC launched a blitz on individuals suspected of possessing and distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
The operation, codenamed "Op Pedo Bersepadu PDRM-MCMC", spearheaded by Bukit Aman's D11, involved a series of coordinated raids across six states: Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Terengganu, Penang, and Perak.
The raids, which saw the authorities descend on homes in affluent neighbourhoods as well as middle and low-cost areas, led to the arrest of 13 suspects.
It also resulted in the seizure of 40,000 CSAM and pornographic content from various devices, including computers, cell phones, and external hard disks.
The ages of those arrested ranged between 20 and 74. Some of the suspects admitted to finding and buying explicit content via social media and messaging platforms such as X and Telegram.
The crackdown followed surveillance and undercover work by the police, supported by intelligence provided by MCMC.
The raiding parties also comprised Bukit Aman's Forensic Laboratory Division (D10), Technical Assistance Division (D6), and Criminal Investigation Department.
The raids came after the New Straits Times' weeklong series of reports on the rampant sale of Malaysian-made explicit content, including CSAM, on social media and messaging platforms.
The NST's investigation also showed how CSAM content was being sold for as cheap as RM1 per video, raising concerns among parents over the safety of their children.
Bukit Aman's D11 principal assistant director, Senior Assistant Commissioner Siti Kamsiah Hassan, had spoken on trends which showed that access to such pornography had made predators even more brazen, with some going to the extent of attempting to abduct children.
She also highlighted how easy access to pornographic content has led to severe addiction, resulting in children, some as young as primary school pupils, becoming involved in creating and profiting from CSAM content.
The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had told the NST how cybercriminals trafficking in CSAM were exploiting advanced encryption technology to avoid arrest.
Malaysia, it said, has forged alliances with the FBI and other international entities to leverage real-time coordination of operations to shut down priority and high-impact targets.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh also congratulated the police for the successful operation.
She also called for many collaborations between the authorities to protect Malaysian children from such abuse.
"The D11 successfully apprehended individuals behind online pedophilia through Ops Pedo. Many victims of pedophilia suffer in silence and carry their wounds into their teenage years which affect their youth.
"Hence, I would like to commend the police who worked with the MCMC in bringing down these perpetrators.
"More of such joint ops please to protect our young Malaysians!" she said.