Bulgarian prosecutors said on Wednesday they had launched an investigation and carried out searches after clients of beauty salons complained that their photos had appeared on pornographic websites, AFP reported in a report from Sofia, quoted by BNR.
The investigation into possession and distribution of pornographic material involves two of the most popular salons in the eastern city of Burgas, on the Black Sea coast. City prosecutor Shtelyan Dimitrov said searches and seizures had been carried out at several addresses where “technical devices related to the criminal activity“ were identified,“ the agency wrote.
Rosen Diev, a lawyer representing about 20 victims, including minors and a young girl, said, quoted by AFP, that the number of potential victims could reach hundreds.
Images of naked women were shared on the Telegram messaging platform, as well as on more than 10 subscription-based pornographic websites, the lawyer added.
Shtelyan Dimitrov said that to date “the distribution and access to more than 100 video files containing images of the salons have been stopped“.
He did not specify where the servers and domains in question were located, but indicated that Bulgarian authorities had requested assistance from foreign partners.
Bulgaria's Personal Data Protection Commission, for its part, announced that "administrative procedures, including inspections" have been launched in beauty salons in the country, AFP reported.
The agency reported that prosecutors in Kazanlak had also launched an investigation after media reports from women who were victims of the same practice.
Meanwhile, Nova TV reported on Wednesday that images from a gynecological office in the capital Sofia had also emerged, AFP added.
The country's Health Ministry said in a statement that Health Minister Silvi Kirilov had ordered the regional health inspectorate in Sofia to conduct an investigation and that a camera had been found in the doctor's office, the agency added.