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ICE arrest prompts warning about location sharing

Sep 25, 2026 | 5:51 PM

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) is sharing a warning, urging parents to review their children’s location-sharing settings on popular social media apps.

The warning comes after an arrest by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.

An investigation determined an alleged offender tracked the location of two youths he had been victimizing online.

The suspect allegedly tracked the victim’s location via Snapchat and travelled to their family home.

ALERT alleges the suspect had been speaking with the victims online and threatened them into sharing sexually explicit videos of themselves.

The victims complied out of fear, and given the suspect had alleged to know their home address and where they went to school.

“A case like this is manifestation of every parent’s worst fears, and you can appreciate how scary this situation would have been for the victim,” says Staff Sgt. Alison Church, ICE.

“We want to prevent this from happening and are asking parents to please speak with their children about safe social media usage and, at the very least, turn off location tracking.’

ICE is investigating the possibility of further victims and is asking anyone with knowledge of the case to contact police or Crime Stoppers (1-800-222-TIPS).  

Meanwhile, Zebra Child Protection Centre and the Edmonton Police Service are assisting with the investigation. Arshdeep Singh, also known by the username “max_bxyz” on Snapchat, was arrested on Sept. 10, 2026. The 18-year-old has been charged with:

  • Child luring;
  • Extortion;
  • Criminal harassment;
  • Making sexually explicit materials available to a child;
  • Making child sexual abuse and exploitation materials;
  • Possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation materials; and
  • Accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation materials

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VIDEO | ALERT: Safety Tips for Snapchat

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The investigation into Singh was prompted after a victim’s family member contacted police in August 2026. ICE suggests parents and users review their location-sharing settings in social media apps.