German Investigation Uncovers Online Predator Network on Telegram

A recent German investigation into an online predator network that thrived on the messaging app Telegram for years has led to the convictions of three alleged members of the group’s inner circle and the ongoing trial of a fourth man in Berlin.

The group, which referred to themselves as the ‘German driving school for experts,’ used the platform to brag about the women they raped and share tips about how to drug them. In posts that sometimes included photos and videos of their attacks on unconscious victims, they referred to women as ‘cars,’ sedatives as ‘fuel’ and rape as ‘driving,’ according to court documents. They called their victims ‘dead pigs.’

Investigation Details and Timeline

Investigators have been poring through several years’ worth of posts in roughly two dozen group chats on the popular messaging app that authorities believe served an online predator network of mainly Chinese men targeting mostly Chinese women in Germany. Their investigation has led to the convictions of three alleged inner circle members on rape and other charges, and the ongoing trial of a fourth man in Berlin.

According to court documents, some of the German Telegram chats date back to at least 2020. Attorney Magdalena Gebhard, who represented a victim in a previous Berlin trial that led to a conviction, said there was an inner circle of eight perpetrators but that some of the chat groups had up to 50,000 members.

Police only became aware of the network in 2024 after a man in Frankfurt, referred to by German courts as Dapeng Z., changed his tactics from drugging and sexually abusing female acquaintances to targeting strangers he met online, according to prosecutors.

Convictions and Ongoing Trials

German police arrested Dapeng Z., whom German and Chinese media have reported is the group’s ringleader, in 2024 in cooperation with Chinese law enforcement, according to the Chinese consulate in Frankfurt and the Beijing News, a state-run media outlet. He was sentenced in February to 14 years in prison for aggravated rape, attempted murder and other offenses, though he has appealed.

Although authorities haven’t publicly said how many women were victimized by the ‘driving school’ network, they have said their investigation is ongoing, meaning there could be further arrests and additional victims. Gebhard’s client, for example, only learned she had been sexually assaulted after investigators discovered video footage.

On Wednesday, defendant Zhiting S. is set to receive his verdict and potential sentence in Berlin. He is believed to be part of the group’s inner circle, German and Chinese state media reported. He was charged with rape and other offenses related to the group’s activities.

Impact and Global Connections

The German predator network managed to thrive despite clear violations of Telegram’s terms of service, again raising questions about how the platform has been used for criminal activity. The company has stated that sexual violence is explicitly forbidden by its terms of service and that such content is routinely removed.

Similar cases to the ‘German driving school’ investigation have been popping up around the globe. Although authorities haven’t publicly linked them to the German prosecutions, some investigators have cited tips from German authorities and journalists as crucial to their progress. In Los Angeles, German investigators last year reached out to police about a potential suspect in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. The defendant, a graduate student from China, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting three women in LA after he allegedly procured the drugs from a Chinese national in Germany.