Police have arrested a 46-year-old man suspected of posing as a teenager on TikTok to gain access to children's chat groups, where investigators say he coerced girls into sending nude photos and videos.
Authorities believe the suspect, a warehouse worker from the northern city of Nesher, may have targeted hundreds of young girls over a three-month period. He faces charges including statutory rape of a child under 14, possession and distribution of obscene material and sexual harassment.
(Photo: Israel Police)
The case came to light after a father in northern Israel discovered explicit messages on his 9-year-old daughter's phone and contacted authorities.
"We initiated a covert investigation through the girl's cellphone," Superintendent Racheli Binyamin, head of the Northern District's cyber crimes unit, told ynet.
Investigators traced the suspect and coordinated with Moked 105, the national child online protection bureau, to match his identity against a backlog of unindicted harassment complaints spanning the last two years. Authorities have so far linked the suspect to eight victims.
According to police, the suspect presented himself as a 15-year-old boy on TikTok to strike up a conversation with a 9-year-old girl. After moving the conversation to WhatsApp, the girl mentioned she was part of a 70-member group chat dedicated to "Squishies"—collectible foam toys popular with children. The suspect asked to be added to the group, and the girl complied.
Superintendent Racheli BinyaminPhoto: Israel PolicePolice have since contacted the parents of all 70 children in the group. While many of the girls reportedly blocked the suspect, investigators said at least nine became victims of abuse, including a 9-year-old whom the man allegedly coerced into an act of rape.
A forensic download of the suspect's phone revealed he had infiltrated at least one other children's chat group. Police are investigating whether he successfully distributed the images online or attempted to arrange physical meetings with the girls.
Authorities said the man sent the children nude photos of himself with his face obscured, while the victims sent photos with their faces clearly visible.
The suspect appeared in a Tiberias magistrate's court, where police requested an extension of his detention.
Binyamin urged parents to closely monitor their children's digital activity. "Check your children's cellphones multiple times a day, know their passcodes, and talk to them," Binyamin said. "When we were children, we were warned not to talk to strangers on the street. Today, the danger from strangers behind a screen is far more perilous."