PETALING JAYA: A 12-year-old girl who ran a website selling explicit images of herself and her peers has been identified as the central figure in a case that prompted police to break up a group known as Geng Budak Sekolah.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told Parliament yesterday that the girl, along with four other children, had coordinated the sale of sexual images online and set up a WhatsApp group that grew to 762 members.
“The girl left school because her monthly income from selling the photos was greater than the combined earnings of her parents. This is an alarming development.”
The case is being pursued under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, with investigators from the federal police’s D11 Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division leading enforcement efforts.
Saifuddin Nasution said the case showed how technology could be misused to exploit minors and stressed the need for cooperation among ministries and agencies to address the issue.
He was replying to Sabri Azit (Jerai-PNi) who asked about government measures against online sexual crimes, including so-called “swinger” activities involving civil servants and university students, and whether existing laws were effective.
Saifuddin Nasution said “swinger” crimes (defined as individuals or couples who voluntarily exchange partners for sexual activity) are handled separately by D7, the Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division.
He said enforcement agencies currently rely on five main legal instruments – the Penal Code, the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, the Film Censorship Act 2002 and state-level syariah enactments.
Saifuddin Nasution cited an operation last year in which D7 infiltrated a website promoting swinger activities.
A subsequent raid at a luxury condominium in Kuala Lumpur led to the arrest of university students, civil servants and foreign nationals.
He said charges have since been filed under the Penal Code and proceedings are ongoing in court.
Saifuddin Nasution also said the Home Ministry has cleared a backlog of 19,205 permanent residency (PR) entry permit applications accumulated from 2013 to 2023.
He said the task force under the Immigration Department had approved 15,081 applications and rejected 4,124, while 2,575 applications recorded in 2024 are expected to be resolved this month.
Saifuddin Nasution was replying to Tan Hong Pin (Bakri-PH) who asked about government efforts to clear the remaining entry permit applications and short-term measures for unsuccessful applicants.
“As of June this year, we received 1,900 applications and I have instructed officers at the Home Ministry and the National Registration Department to complete all of them by September. “This enables us to process about 300 new entry permit applications per month.”