WASHINGTON: A Bangladeshi national accused of operating a large international online child-exploitation scheme involving hundreds of minors has been brought to the United States from Malaysia to face federal charges, the US Department of Justice announced.

According to court documents, Zobaidul Amin, 28, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Alaska in July 2022 on charges related to the alleged abuse and exploitation of hundreds of underage victims in Alaska and elsewhere in the United States and abroad.

Prosecutors say Amin used social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to identify minors and coerce them into producing sexually explicit images and videos.

Authorities say Amin had been living in Malaysia and attending medical school before the US charges were filed. Malaysian authorities arrested him in Sept 2022 and charged him with 13 counts related to the possession and production of child pornography.

After cooperation between US and Malaysian authorities, he was transferred to Alaska on March 4.

Investigators say the case came to light after a teenage girl in Alaska reported her interactions with the suspect to police in late 2021, triggering an investigation that uncovered what prosecutors describe as a large-scale online exploitation network.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the suspect’s transfer demonstrated Washington’s efforts to pursue offenders operating abroad.

“The return from Malaysia of a Bangladeshi national who allegedly abused and sexually exploited hundreds of minor victims worldwide is another successful example of the administration’s increased efforts to find criminals hiding abroad,” she said.

Amin faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to produce and distribute child pornography, operating a child-exploitation enterprise, cyberstalking, aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. If convicted, he could face a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2026