The misuse of Bergisch Gladbach draws more circles. A seventh suspect was arrested in Alsdorf near Aachen. The 57-year-old has been in custody on suspicion of serious sexual abuse of children in remand, said the police in Cologne.
But the search of his house will probably take several days. Further information wanted prosecutor and police initially did not make because of the investigation.
Several days ago, four men were arrested who allegedly sexually abused their own children or stepchildren. Shortly thereafter, two other suspects were caught in Krefeld and Aachen. The starting point for the extensive investigations was a large amount of data, which was found at the end of October during the search of an apartment in Bergisch Gladbach.
The pictures on the smartphone of the father of the family - the 42-year-old is also in custody - show loud police serious sexual abuse. By analyzing his cell phone, the investigators came to the five other suspects on the track. With the new arrest in Alsdorf on Friday, the number of suspects rise to seven, said a police spokesman.
Investigators fear more victims
The alleged perpetrator circle so far focuses on North Rhine-Westphalia, only one of the arrested comes from Hesse - the room Wiesbaden. Investigators currently have nine known victims, ranging in age from one year to eleven years. There are further victims to be feared.
The dimension of the case, according to the investigators is not yet to estimate. The police had repeatedly stressed that unknown perpetrators could still be active. It is expected that the investigations would be extended to other federal states and possibly to foreign countries.
More than 150 investigators are currently working on the enlightenment. The lead is at the Cologne prosecutor. Numerous seized data carriers are being evaluated showing serious sexual violence against children. According to Cologne police, the suspects have exchanged photos of the abuse in chat groups with up to 1,800 members.
Also read the interview with child pornography chief investigator Andreas May: "I came with the idea to do everything right and then that, terrible"
