Civil Police closes largest operation against child sexual abuse in RS and collects DNA from suspects for national bank

The Civil Police closes this Friday (6) an operation against sexual crimes. Those investigated are suspected of producing, storing and sharing child sexual abuse material, as well as rape of a vulnerable person. Until the last update of this report, three men were arrested.

In a pioneering action, the prisoners were sent to collect genetic material for integration with the national bank of genetic profiles, the Instituto-Geral de Perícias (IGP).

After the arrest, the Civil Police requests judicial authorization to extract the suspects' genetic material. The objective is to cross-reference information to solve other cases.

Experts accompany police teams to analyze electronic devices, such as cell phones, computers and hard drives, directly at search locations. The immediate identification of illicit material allows the arrest of suspects in the act.

"This is scientific work carried out by experts on site, precisely to guarantee the legality of the collection of that evidence in the so-called chain of custody. Then, they carry out searches on electronic devices [...] And revealing the existence of the material there, at that moment the arrest warrant is given for him, and from there the entire legal procedure begins", explains delegate André Ciardullo Mocciaro.

One of the cases occurred in Viamão, in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, where a man was detained. According to the investigation, the suspect was a neighbor and trusted member of the victim's family, which allowed him to be alone with the child.

"We often say that these investigations are cyber, but it is not uncommon for crime to migrate from the virtual world to the real world. This is a case that really touches us, because this criminal, in addition to sharing and storing, produced videos, abused children to whom he had access because of their parents' trust", says the delegate.

Starting on Wednesday (4), the action carried out six search and seizure warrants and two preventive arrest warrants in the municipalities of Canoas, Viamão, Santa Cruz do Sul, Vila Maria and Caxias do Sul.

According to the Civil Police, this is the largest offensive to combat child sexual abuse ever carried out in the state. Operation Refuge is commanded by the Special Division for Children and Adolescents (DECA), linked to the State Department for the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (DPGV).