KUCHING: The arrest of paedophile Alladin Lanim in Lundu was the result of cooperation between Malaysian and Australian police as well as other Malaysian agencies, say Sarawak police.
State police commissioner Comm Datuk Aidi Ismail said the Bukit Aman and Sarawak Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Divisions (D11) and state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) worked with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to track the offender.
"As the suspect's activities took place on the dark web anonymously, intelligence and investigation were carried out by Bukit Aman D11 and AFP with their greater expertise until they managed to identify him.
"With this information, Sarawak D11 and CID gathered intelligence and finally located Alladin, who was working as a field conductor at an oil palm plantation in Biawak, Lundu," he said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 9).
Based on this information, he added, a team from Sarawak D11 and CID arrested Alladin on July 5 for possessing "thousands" of child pornography material in his mobile phone.
"He was investigated under Section 10 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
"Five children from the neighbouring area came forward with their parents to lodge police reports and assist the investigations," Comm Aidi said.
Questions had been raised about how Alladin had operated 14 years without being detected by police, following a report by Australian newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald last Sunday (Sept 5) that one of the world's most wanted paedophiles had been active under the radar since 2007 before being caught by Australian investigators.
Aidi also said media reports that Alladin was arrested upon his release from a Covid-19 quarantine centre in Kuching after flying back from Peninsular Malaysia were inaccurate.
He said Alladin had not left Sarawak since returning in 2016.
"Efforts to curb such crimes do not rest on one agency alone but require cooperation from multiple organisations, including local and foreign law enforcement agencies.
"Individuals and members of society are also encouraged to report such crimes," he added.