Manu Sugunakumar, 23, has been taken into custody as part of a child luring and sexual exploitation investigation in Whitby.
A young man, aged 23, has been arrested after accusations that he lured two girls through social media and sought child sexual abuse material.
Durham Regional Police report that the Child Exploitation Unit began an investigation in late 2025 upon receiving tips about the suspect’s communication with a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl via Reddit and Snapchat.
According to police, the suspect used Reddit and Snapchat under the usernames “Delivery Normal7189” and “manu041.01” to encourage the girls to share child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
In 2026, police executed a search warrant at his home in Whitby.
During this operation, they arrested Manu Sugunakumar from Whitby and seized several electronic devices.
Sugunakumar faces multiple charges, including two counts of luring a minor under 16 for sexual assault purposes, three counts of luring someone under 18 to create child sexual abuse material, one count of luring a person under 16 to invite sexual touching, and one count of sharing an intimate image without consent.
Investigators think there may be more victims. Anyone with information is urged to reach out to Durham Regional Police.
At the time of his arrest, police noted that Sugunakumar was employed by Durham College.
In a statement to , a representative for Durham College mentioned that the contract employee has been placed on leave and is not currently working at the institution.
“Durham College is aware of charges laid by Durham Regional Police Service involving a contract employee of the college.” said the spokesperson.
“These allegations are deeply concerning. The safety and well-being of our students, employees, and broader community remain our highest priority.”
The spokesperson added that the college ”will fully cooperate with police in its investigation as required.”
“As this matter is before the courts and is the subject of an active police investigation, the college will not comment further.”
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