A five-year-old girl in Regina has been rescued after a man in the Middle East reported seeing her being exploited in an online chat room.
Saskatoon Police say they received a call around 4 a.m. on July 28 from a man who said he had come across a live chat in a random online chat room showing an adult male committing an indecent act in front of the child.
The man, who was nearly 11,000 kilometres away, sent screenshots and other details by email to help investigators.
Police were initially led to two addresses in Saskatoon, but officers determined neither was connected to the incident.
The complainant later came across the suspect again in the same chat room and passed along more information. Police were then able to identify an address in Regina.
Regina Police were contacted and treated the case as a priority call. Officers went to the home, where they arrested a 51-year-old man and located the girl.
The suspect has been charged with making child pornography. Police seized his electronic devices and say the investigation is ongoing.
Victim services are now involved to support the girl.
Police say the case shows how one report can help rescue a victim of crime and urge anyone with information about online exploitation to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers.