Phoenix 24
Hidden cameras, sedatives and digital evidence revealed systematic abuse.
BERLIN, GERMANY — July 2026. German court proceedings have exposed an organized digital network whose members allegedly planned, documented and shared sexual assaults against Chinese women in Germany and other countries. Judicial records identified eight participants in a Telegram group called the “German Driving School,” where coded language was reportedly used to conceal discussions about victims and sedative substances. Members referred to drugs as “fuel” and selected women as “cars,” allowing them to exchange instructions and coordinate criminal acts through apparently ordinary conversations. With one exception, the men investigated were members of the Chinese community, while specialists emphasized that online networks facilitating sexual violence represent an international problem rather than one associated with a particular nationality.
The investigation revealed that Chinese student Tong Z. secretly recorded 11 women between 2019 and 2024 while they were sleeping, showering, dressing or otherwise unaware that cameras had been installed. The recordings were made in several German residences and during trips to Poland, Denmark and China, according to evidence presented before the Berlin court. Investigators determined that he had used an additional copy of a neighbor’s apartment key to enter the property and place a concealed camera inside the bathroom. A court sentenced him to five years and nine months in prison after he admitted the charges involving sexual assault, unauthorized intimate recordings and other violations against the women.
One of the most serious cases involved a woman with mild physical and intellectual disabilities who was given a drink containing sedatives before being assaulted and recorded in 2024. Authorities said she had no knowledge of the crime until police later contacted her as part of the investigation. When officers searched Tong Z.’s residence following his arrest in November 2024, they discovered medical sedatives, syringes, women’s underwear and other material considered relevant to the case. They also recovered hard drives containing more than two terabytes of recordings organized into separate folders bearing the names of individual victims, indicating a systematic process of collecting and archiving intimate material.
German courts also imposed substantially longer sentences on other members accused of administering potentially lethal quantities of drugs to women. A 44-year-old computer engineer who administered the Telegram group received a 14-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape and attempted murder, while a 28-year-old student was sentenced to more than 11 years for comparable offences. Investigators traced the wider network after examining the administrator’s digital devices and discovering thousands of messages in which members exchanged recordings, congratulated one another and discussed methods for filming assaults. Records showed that two principal defendants exchanged more than 2,000 messages in less than a year, including conversations about concealed cameras, multiple recording devices and the later use of compromising material to pressure victims.
The case has also drawn attention to the psychological consequences experienced by women who learned from police that they had been recorded or assaulted without their knowledge. One 27-year-old woman discovered that her former partner had secretly photographed her while she slept, leaving her unable to remember when the images had been taken or determine whether other encounters had involved sedatives. She later reported symptoms associated with depression and post-traumatic stress and began receiving psychological treatment to regain a sense of security and personal control. Forensic psychology specialists said digital anonymity, social isolation and closed online communities can reinforce abusive behavior by giving participants a false sense of belonging, legitimacy and protection from accountability.
Digital evidence is bringing hidden crimes into the light.