University student arrested over porn site

PHOTO FROM THE NATION

BANGKOK — A 17-year-old male university student, who allegedly posted some 300,000 pornographic pictures of net idols and actresses on the internet, has been arrested.

Pol Colonel Jirakit Jarunapat, a superintendent with the Police’s Children and Women Protection Sub-Division, on Thursday said his division and the Internet Crimes Against Childern (TICAC) task force had arrested the suspect, whose name was withheld due to his age.

He was arrested at a house in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district on December 11. A desktop computer and a cell phone, which contained 860 GB (about 300,000) obscene pictures of girls and women, were also seized.

The arrest stemmed from a five-month investigation into the sharing of pornographic material on “Kodwarp” pages on VK, Line and Facebook. They could be accessed by members who paid a fee ranging Bt300-Bt800, he said.

Following his arrest, the teenage, who is a third-year university student in the computer field, reportedly confessed to having gathered pornographic materials from various websites to distribute from his pages and group chats.

He said his public pages and groups, which are free to access, had 30,000 followers while the “VIP” groups which required an admission fee, had about 1,000 members.

He said he had been involved for three months and spent the money he earned buying brand-name goods while setting aside Bt500,000 in savings accounts.

Police said they would extend the probe and attempt to arrest those who took the photographs, he said.

Jirakit also revealed many of the victims whose compromised photos were distributed, suffered from depression and some even attempted suicide over embarrassment.