For more than a year, investigative journalists from ARD have monitored Telegram chats, documented photos and videos of thousands of users, including from Germany, and found that they contain instructions on how people can be drugged unnoticed for the purpose of sexual assault, including rape. Participants in these chats incited each other and offered their partners to other users for rape. The rapes were announced in advance, and the corresponding recordings were then distributed.
Sexual abuse in real time
The women affected were from the users' close circle: sisters, mothers, girlfriends or wives. Some claimed that their partners had consented. Others proudly reported that they knew nothing about it.
For example, a user says the following about his alleged partner in the chat: "She's very drunk now, and she's taken sleeping pills. I'm probably going to have a lot of fun soon". Others say: "This is fantastic. What does she look like?". And he sends them pictures.
Alleged rapes are also being performed in real time before the online audience. In one case, documented by ARD journalists, a German man offered his wife for rape - after ordering narcotics online.
A narcotic disguised as hair serum
Users exchange tips and instructions for using narcotics. Various types of drugs are advertised and links to online shops are shared.
Investigative journalists from ARD managed to order a narcotic drug disguised as hair serum online. Toxicologist Volker Auwerter from Freiburg found several dangerous substances in it, including medetomidine, a designer benzodiazepine, and scopolamine, an anti-emetic.
The toxicologist is shocked by this discovery - it is the first time he has encountered such a combination of substances and tells ARD that laboratories may need to be re-equipped to be able to detect these substances. Auwerter is also concerned that the drug is sold disguised as hair serum and could go undetected even during a thorough search, for example of a home.
Sexual assault on unconscious people is punishable
Sexual assault on unconscious people is punishable under the German Criminal Code. However, possession of recordings of rape of adults is not. In response to a query to the Federal Ministry of Justice, it said: "We do not consider it necessary to change this legal situation".
ARD also quoted the response to the same query given by the German Interior Ministry: "If the police authorities receive information about suspected criminal groups, they will actively investigate this information. Criminal activity on the Internet is prosecuted in the same way as in the analog world".
The Federal Criminal Police Office sent an inquiry to ARD about this type of group on Telegram more than a year ago. But the journalists replied that they could not provide exact data due to the tactics of the investigation. "In addition, in the presence of criminal offenses, it is possible that the groups will be reported to the service provider and requested to be deleted", the investigative reporters also noted.
Telegram explained that they are monitoring relevant signals from users and investigative authorities: "We follow a zero-tolerance policy towards abuse of the platform. "Any users found to be doing so will be blocked immediately," their response said.
Lawyers see a need for legal intervention
During the investigation, some of the groups were deleted and some of the inactive members were removed. However, numerous new links with invitations to other groups show that the network of rapists is widespread.
Anna Schmidt from the German Bar Association told ARD that all this was "quite outrageous." It is clear that the current regulations are not sufficient.
"Even if we assume that some of them are being implemented, it is not at all clear on what scale. When videos of sexual violence are being shown live, there really is a need for action," Schmidt told ARD.