Maldives Police have issued a strong warning that legal action will be taken against individuals subscribing to Telegram channels that distribute sexually explicit content.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Police Inspector Azeef Abbas emphasized that the law allows for penalizing not only those responsible for distributing the material but also those who pay to access it.

As part of an ongoing crackdown on digital sex crimes, police have already seized 571 Telegram channels that were used to share 241,651 explicit images and 86,618 videos involving Maldivian women, including minors.

Among these, 43 channels were specifically identified as platforms distributing child pornography.

Investigations have revealed that 34,680 individuals paid subscription fees, with the operators of these channels accumulating nearly MVR 2 million in revenue.

To date, three individuals have been arrested in connection with nine of the channels.

The suspects are

- Ismail Zabeeh, 29, from Kaashidhoo

- Nasif Ali, 46, from Male’

- Zubair Ali, 45, from Mahibadhoo.

Zabeeh was arrested on August 20 after a victim reported that he had threatened to leak her images.

Upon searching his phone, police discovered evidence linking him to various crimes.

In Nasif’s case, officers found explicit content and proof of financial transactions on his phone. Zubair, arrested on August 10, was found with child pornography on his phone, along with evidence that he actively sought such material.

He was also accused of extorting victims and demanding sexual favors from those who requested their content be removed from the channels.

Inspector Azeef revealed that Zubair had sexually harassed victims and requested inappropriate favors. 

Superintendent of Police Mohammed Sameeh, head of the Cyber Crime Center, warned of the growing issue of blackmail and exploitation on social media, particularly platforms like Snapchat.