Online child pornography: 7 arrested for grooming minors with erotic games

Seven people were arrested and another 23 reported by the Postal Police in a nationwide operation against online child pornography. The suspects, including two minors, lured children through erotic role-playing game chats on instant messaging platforms, assigning scores for sexually explicit behavior.

The investigation, coordinated by the Rome Prosecutor's Office, led to the execution of 30 searches across Italy and the seizure of hundreds of Gigabytes of child pornographic material, including videos of violent abuse against very young children. Sixty computer devices were also seized, along with 895 grams of marijuana found in a Rome residence. The trade of the material occurred online, with payments accepted via electronic means or cryptocurrencies.

The investigation began with a report from a mother whose 14-year-old daughter, on a well-known messaging platform, had been induced to participate in an online game with sexual undertones involving an adult. This triggered an inquiry by the Lazio Cyber Security Operations Center, which identified four organizers of the chats.

Attention then shifted to a paid channel where 30 other people were distributing child pornography material. This led to an operation extended nationwide, involving the cyber security operations centers of Lombardy, Veneto, Piedmont, Umbria, Campania, Sardinia, Apulia, and Calabria. The case demonstrates how online grooming exploits seemingly harmless gaming and messaging platforms to reach minors, subsequently turning the abuse into a veritable criminal business.