A Dutch national has been arrested by the Belgium authorities for “doxing” – selling naked images and addresses of mainly young women without their permission,

The man, 35 and from Eindhoven, ran several Telegram groups in which images were shared without permission, some of which had over 100,000 members, the Belgian public prosecution service has said.

Members of the groups were urged to send in photographs and paid membership in the form of crypto vouchers. According to Belgian broadcaster VRT, membership cost around €50.

VRT began reporting on the existence of the groups in 2022 and they were broken up in September last year. Police then began an investigation into those behind them.

The Dutchman has been questioned by Belgian police and admitted his role, Belgian media said. He will face charges of spreading nude photographs without permission in exchange for money, distributing images of the abuse of minors, and earning money illegally.

The police also raided a number of homes in the Netherlands earlier this month and confiscated IT equipment, according to Dutch media. Those investigations are continuing.