Two people living in the Naples area were arrested as part of Operation Orione, a national inquiry into child-abuse material shared through Telegram groups, according to Il Mattino.
The operation was coordinated by the Milan Prosecutor's Office and conducted by the Cybersecurity Operations Centre for Lombardy with the National Centre for Combating Online Child Pornography. Investigators mapped Telegram groups after forensic analysis of previously seized devices, according to the Polizia di Stato.
Investigators identified 24 users connected to the dissemination of the material. Six people were arrested and 18 were reported at liberty.
More than 3,000 images and videos were seized. The Polizia di Stato said the inquiry included production involving identified victims in three cases.
The six people arrested were reported as being between 38 and 58 years old. Two lived in the Naples area, with the others in the provinces of Salerno, Sassari, Vibo Valentia and Padova. Searches and investigative activity extended across several Italian regions, including Campania and Calabria.
About 2,000 of the seized files were allegedly found in the possession of the two people from the Naples area, according to Il Mattino. Neither Il Mattino nor the Polizia di Stato release published the names of those arrested or reported. The alleged conduct has not resulted in convictions.
