THE HAGUE – Dutch police said on June 4 they had arrested four men during an investigation involving several women being drugged and sexually assaulted, with echoes of the Gisele Pelicot case that shocked France.
“Information indicates that multiple women in the Netherlands may have been drugged by someone in their immediate circle,” police said in a statement.
“Subsequently, sexual acts were performed on the victims while they were being filmed,” authorities added.
Police are trawling through evidence to determine how many victims were abused, according to the statement.
“But what is clear is that this is a case with an enormous impact,” said Milou van der Kolk from the sexual crimes team of Rotterdam police.
Suspects belonged to private social media groups, in which “tips” were shared on the best way to drug potential victims.
More arrests are possible, said police, who seized computers, telephones, and data storage devices from the homes of the men arrested.
“The news that your partner or an acquaintance may have drugged you and perhaps even raped you or attempted to do so can turn your life completely upside down,” said van der Kolk.
Dutch media likened the events to the Pelicot case in France. Pelicot’s husband was in 2024 sentenced to 20 years in prison for recruiting strangers to sexually abuse her while she was drugged unconscious in their home. Dozens of the men who raped her were also jailed. AFP