LONDON, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Law enforcement officials in Britain warned thousands of parents their children could have been victims of a pedophile ring.
Police detectives were trying to determine if the victims were targeted through Internet social networks or found on the streets in the Torbay area of southwest Great Britain, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
Officers wrote to the parents of more than 16,000 secondary schoolchildren, alerting them that a "complex child abuse investigation is currently under way in Torbay."
The investigation reportedly is focusing on men who had been sexually exploiting girls and boys between 12 and 15 years old, the newspaper reported.
Officers said they identified 20 victims in the Torbay area but believe the number could be higher and have asked for other victims to come forward.
Britain's Channel 4 News reported that a 19-year-old man was arrested in the case and charged with sex offenses.
"We are treating this investigation very seriously. We are looking at other people and further arrests may be made in the coming days and weeks," Deputy Inspector Simon Snell said. "We are not dealing with individuals that are grabbing children off the streets. Each of the children is known to the offenders."
