Gombak police chief Noor Ariffin Nasir said the suspect was assisting investigations under Section 15(e) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 for causing a child to watch or hear a visual, audio or written representation of someone engaged in an activity sexual in nature.

He said the suspect was arrested yesterday after a police report lodged by the victim’s mother alleged that her teenage daughter had received messages and pictures that had sexual elements via a social media platform.

“Preliminary investigations found that the suspect had sent several lewd images and messages with sexual elements to the victim since early May.

“The police view the sexual exploitation of children seriously and will take stern action against any individual involved in such offences,” he said in a statement.

Noor Ariffin also advised parents to monitor their children’s activities online and report any suspicious behaviour to the authorities immediately.

Harian Metro reported earlier that the suspect had surrendered himself at the Gombak police headquarters yesterday.

He allegedly sent a lewd picture to the teenager, purportedly to show a scar he had received from an operation. He is said to have apologised to the teen’s mother over the issue.