This case could be just the tip of the iceberg. The arrest of a man suspected of raping a 9-year-old girl and uploading sexual content to the Internet generated multiple alerts received by the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) through confidential channels.
These warnings referred to other similar cases involving child pornography.
The subject, arrested on May 23rd in San Miguel de Desamparados, is serving a year of preventive custody. Apparently, after repeatedly raping the girl, he published the videos on the web.
Jairo Muñoz, head of the Judicial Investigation Organization’s (CICO) Confidential Information Center (CICO), confirmed this arrest trigger a wave of similar reports, mainly sent via WhatsApp.
Given the arrest of a person distributing child pornography, many people reported similar cases to us by WhatsApp. They give us important information. It’s a very quick way to cooperate with the police,”
said Muñoz.
The official said that such cases are ‘regrettable’, but the citizen complaint is vital to know what happens. They can even send images, videos or voice clips via WhatsApp, as confidential intel to the police.
In an interview in April, staff of the OIJ Sexual Offenses Section confirmed that they were investigating several Costa Ricans for participating in global chats where child pornography is being disseminated.
To avoid the further proliferation of such crimes in the country, the IJO intensified the exchange of information with Interpol and police officers from other countries. In addition, they want to have full time agents to investigate these cases.
Number: 8800 06-45 (OIJ confidential line).
-Avoid calls, just messages.
-Videos, photos and audios are accepted.
-Avoid including the number in groups or message chains.
-Provide concrete data: exact address of reported cases, for example.