A German investigation has uncovered an online predator network that operated for years on the messaging app Telegram, resulting in the convictions of three alleged inner-circle members and an ongoing trial for a fourth man in Berlin. Prosecutors allege that the group, primarily composed of Chinese men, used Telegram chats to share videos of sexual assaults and information on how to drug women.
The group referred to women as “cars,” sedatives as “fuel,” and rape as “driving,” according to court documents. They allegedly shared photos and videos of their attacks on unconscious victims, referring to them as “dead pigs.” The Frankfurt chief prosecutor, Dominik Mies, described the perpetrators as being characterized by “a particular ruthlessness, an objectification of the victims, and the perfidious planning of their crimes.”
Investigators are examining several years' worth of posts across approximately two dozen Telegram group chats believed to have served as an online predator network targeting primarily Chinese women in Germany. The full scope of the network, including the number of attacks and perpetrators linked to the German chats, remains unclear. It is also uncertain if these chats are connected to broader investigations in Europe and the Americas concerning drug-facilitated sexual assaults linked to misogynistic online communities.
Under German privacy laws, authorities face limitations in publicly disclosing details of the investigation and ongoing court proceedings. Some members of the public have been excluded from certain parts of the trial in Berlin.
Despite limited public attention in Germany, members of the country's Chinese community, predominantly women, have attended court proceedings to support the victims. Fu Xiao, who traveled to Berlin for a trial, expressed anger at the group's alleged misogyny, stating, “What makes one really angry is to see that such groups hate women, they have no respect. Women aren’t seen as people.”
While Chinese state media has reported comprehensively on the cases, broader discussions on Chinese-language social media platforms have faced partial censorship, with certain terms or tags related to the prosecutions being restricted.
German cases have drawn comparisons to similar incidents globally. In Los Angeles, German investigators shared information with police about a suspect accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women after allegedly obtaining drugs from an individual in Germany. In the Netherlands, police arrested four men suspected of drugging and abusing women following information from authorities in Germany and the U.K. Europol, the EU's police agency, recently launched "Project Medusa," an international operation targeting online networks that promote drug-facilitated sexual assaults, resulting in 57 arrests.
The Telegram network reportedly operated despite clear violations of the platform's terms of service. The app's founder, arrested in Paris in 2024 over allegations of illicit activity on the platform, blamed