Child porn ring: more people investigated

Police are investigating another 44 people with possible links to an international child pornography ring, and have obtained at least 30 search warrants so far, a spokesman said on Friday.

   

"We did an investigation on 50 suspects... we then obtained 30 search warrants early in August," said Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale.

   

"We executed those warrants and that's how we arrested those six. The six are part of the 50."

  

Police had followed up on a tip-off from Interpol last Thursday and arrested six men in four provinces for possession of child porn.

   

The accused were arrested in Lichtenburg, Bloemfontein, White River, Douglasdale, Florida, and Potchefstroom.

   

They were a teacher, a retired school principal, a headmaster, a lawyer, a dermatologist, and a businessman.

   

Since the arrests, they had appeared in various South African courts separately and had their cases postponed. 

   

Makgale said police were trying to obtain the remaining 20 search warrants.

   

He could not confirm a report in The Times that among the alleged paedophiles were top executives of banks, insurance firms, legal practices, and IT companies. 

   

On Wednesday, the newspaper reported the case had links to Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Western Europe, and Australasia.

   

It reported that children as young as five were believed to have been groomed to have sex with each other and adults. 

   

-Sapa