Two men have been arrested after hackers allegedly stole the data of 8,000 children from a London-based nursery chain database.
The Daily Mail reported police officers confirmed they detained a 17-year-old and a 22-year-old for questioning in the hack.
The arrests followed an operation at several properties across the country.
Police said the pair were held on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail, but they were not named.
The arrests came after the pictures, names, and addresses of around 8,000 children were stolen from the Kido child care chain.
The cyber criminals reportedly demanded a ransom from the company, which runs 19 sites in the U.K. and elsewhere.
Kido operates 18 day care centers in Britain and 39 across India, China, and the U.S.
American locations can be found in Houston, Austin, and Chicago.
Will Lyne, head of economic and cybercrime for London’s Metropolitan Police Service, said investigators “have been working at pace to identify those responsible.”
“We understand reports of this nature can cause considerable concern, especially to those parents and carers who may be worried about the impact of such an incident on them and their families,” Lyne added. “These arrests are a significant step forward in our investigation.”
Hackers calling themselves “Radiant” also claimed to have taken notes and details about children’s parents and careers, according to the BBC.
They reportedly contacted some parents directly by phone to demand ransom payments.
The criminals posted photos and personal information of 20 children on the dark web and published the private data of dozens of employees.
One parent told the BBC she received a threatening call warning that her child’s information would be posted online unless she pressured Kido to pay.
“This malicious attack represents a truly barbaric new low,” said Famly software service CEO Anders Laustsen, whose platform hosts Kido’s data.
CNN reported that the hackers later removed the information from the dark web and claimed they deleted it.
“We are sorry for hurting kids,” one of the alleged criminals told the BBC.
Police said they are still investigating.
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