Edmonton man facing sex charges exploited about 100 children using Snapchat, investigators say

A 21-year-old Edmonton man charged with sexually abusing children is believed to have victimized upward of 100 girls who have yet to be identified by investigators.Imesh Ratnayake was originally charged in July in relation to sexual crimes against six children, the youngest of whom was 11 years old. He was later released on conditions. Ratnayake is now facing 18 additional child exploitation charges — all related to the six previously identified children — following a months-long investigation by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.Ratnayake was re-arrested on Dec. 9 and remanded in custody. His new charges include sexual assault, making child pornography and child luring. He now faces a total of 31 criminal charges.Investigators allege he used online profiles on the social media app Snapchat to meet his victims and lure them into performing sexual acts.The victims identified to date range in age from 11 to 14.After poring through recently discovered images and videos, investigators now believe upward 100 children were exploited by the accused, Sgt. Kerry Shima of the ICE Unit said during a news conference Wednesday. “These victims are unidentified and at this time, we are seeking from the public for assistance in identifying who they are,” Shima said.”We
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