Heman Palani, a 35-year-old resident of Edmonton, has been released on house arrest after being charged with child luring and child pornography offences in Alberta.
Palani was charged with multiple alleged child luring and sexual assault offences, including child pornography creation and distribution, following an investigation dating back to late October. He was arrested on April 23 and released on house arrest.
The investigation combined the work of the Edmonton Police Service and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team’s Internet Child Enforcement unit.
Authorities report that a joint investigation into alleged crimes involving two Edmonton youths and the sexual assault of at least one young girl has led to charges.
ALERT has released the name, photograph and online aliases of the suspect believing there could be additional victims.
The organization said the man “targeted girls between the ages of 13 to 16″ through social media. He allegedly used several aliases, including ‘hermesthefox,’ ‘FOCKXINDAHENHOUSE,’ ‘Alen Wake,’ ‘Hemi; and ‘Zane.’
“It is our hope that by releasing his photo and the names he used on social media, other victims will come forward and speak with police,” they said in a statement released on Friday.
In recent months, members of the ALERT and ICE units have engaged in speaking sessions, offering parents and caregivers information and tips on how to keep children safe from online predators.
Some of the topics discussed included the internet, social media, child luring, sextortion, artificial intelligence and whether certain apps were more problematic than others.
“There is no such thing as a bad app, just the bad behaviour that occurs on any given platform,” said Cst. Stephanie Bosch, a member of the ALERT ICE unit.
More important than monitoring app activity, the officers stressed, is to maintain active listening and to stress the availability of adult support if a child is victimized.
He was released from custody on 24-hour house arrest.
His next court date is set for May 27.