The authorities in the Netherlands have successfully shut down a website that was involved in distributing child pornography. The disturbing images featured boys aged between 10 and 18 years old. A 44-year-old man residing in the Brabant municipality of Halderberge has been apprehended in connection with this illegal activity.
An announcement from the Public Prosecution Service indicates that the arrested individual is believed to have played a key role as one of the administrators of the child pornography platform. It is alleged that he managed multiple accounts and also shared illicit content himself. The suspect has been under pre-trial detention for a fortnight. The prosecution states that users could access a restricted section of the website by paying a fee using cryptocurrency.
The website was being hosted in Hungary. As part of the investigation, law enforcement authorities were able to infiltrate the website and obtain information such as login details and IP addresses belonging to users. A total of over 2500 accounts were found to be active, with users and victims hailing from both the Netherlands and other countries.
The Public Prosecution Service has expressed concerns that some users may have coerced underage boys into performing indecent acts in front of a camera. However, there is no evidence of physical harm inflicted upon the underage boys by the users. Efforts are underway to identify the victims, users, and administrators of the website. Two cases involving reports from minor victims have already been documented by the police.
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