Man Arrested Over Alleged Sale of Child Abuse Material Using Cryptocurrency

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of using cryptocurrency to sell child sexual abuse images and videos, according to the Maldives Police Service.

Police identified the suspect as Adam Adhlan Latheef, of Moonimaage in Vilufushi. He was arrested under a court order on 5 April following an investigation by the Family and Child Protection Department. He was remanded in custody for an initial period of 15 days, which is due to expire on Tuesday.

The police stated that the arrest followed an investigation into a report alleging that child sexual abuse material was being sold through a wallet address linked to Binance.

Investigators reported that funds from the wallet were traced to the suspect’s cryptocurrency account. Forensic analysis of his electronic devices subsequently uncovered a large quantity of images and videos, including nude imagery of children.

The material also included videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, according to the police.

The case remains under further investigation.