A 24-year-old man living in Central Thailand was quietly collecting disturbing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), content authorities believe he downloaded from private chat groups. Though he denied producing any of the files, he admitted to accessing and storing them on his phone. That phone would later be found to contain 741 suspected files of child exploitation material.
The case began when Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (TICAC) officers received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The report suggested not only the possession of CSAM, but also the possible production involving a minor. That lead prompted an urgent investigation, and a request for support.
Over the course of two days, TICAC officers, with assistance from Our Rescue’s field team, gathered information, observed the suspect, and mapped out his routine. The suspect, who lived in a three-story townhouse rented by his employer, shared the space with around ten others. It was a close-knit community where unfamiliar movement would be noticed, so surveillance had to be handled with precision.
On an early morning in June, as the man left for work around 7:30 a.m., police officers moved in and arrested the man on the spot. Officers searched the home and Electronic Storage Detection (ESD) K9 Winner conducted a follow-up scan to ensure all devices were found. The phone in question was recovered and searched, revealing hundreds of suspected files. Though the suspect claimed the phone was borrowed and denied wrongdoing, the digital evidence told a different story.
No direct evidence of child abuse by the suspect has been confirmed, but the material found remains under investigation.
From 6:00 to 9:00 a.m., the team worked steadily to bring the operation to a close. One arrest. One phone. Hundreds of files. And a continued commitment to ensuring that even digital spaces are not safe havens for exploitation.