A national police operation in Palma de Mallorca halted a teenage suspect accused of extorting at least 11 minors to obtain explicit material. The individual allegedly used fake online profiles to gain trust, persuading victims to send photos and videos showing themselves naked. When the victims refrained, the suspect threatened to share the material with relatives. The pattern repeated on multiple occasions.
Investigators allege crimes including sexual exploitation, distribution of child pornography, threats, and disclosure of secrets. They scrutinized seized digital devices to uncover further evidence and identify potential additional victims.
The investigation began after a complaint from one of those harmed. The complainant described connection with a social network profile posing as a girl who purportedly sent numerous messages and intimate images and videos of themselves.
From that moment, the suspect reportedly threatened to circulate any material obtained to the victim’s friends, family, and schoolmates if requests for more images continued. When the victim resisted, the threats materialized as the suspect shared files with peers and classmates.
Authorities traced eleven victims in total, all minors lured through the same manipulative scheme. The case officers uncovered a sophisticated online network built to reach other youths. The suspect reportedly opened many profiles on a social platform to communicate with minors and, after winning their trust, coax them into sending nude content.
After receiving such material, the suspect allegedly intensified coercive tactics, consistently demanding more images. Some victims reported that when they stopped complying, relatives faced repercussions through the spread of the captured images.
Law enforcement agents from the Economic Crimes and Technological Crimes Unit conducted a home search with proper judicial authorization in recent days. The teenager was taken into custody, and a substantial amount of evidence was gathered.
The search of the residence yielded a large quantity of digital and hardware materials, all of which are undergoing analysis. The inquiry remains active, and authorities caution that new victims may still emerge.
‘Childcare’
In response to the surge in such offenses, the national police advise vigilance for young people using social networks. Experts urge only trusting profiles of people known personally and avoiding posting compromising images or videos. It is illegal to solicit sexual content from minors.