BANDUNG: Indonesian authorities have detained 12 suspects after uncovering an alleged baby trafficking ring that sent more than a dozen infants to Singapore, a police official told AFP on Tuesday (July 15).
The case was discovered after a parent reported an alleged baby kidnapping to police, which led them to a suspect who admitted to trading 24 infants, said West Java police's director of general criminal investigation, Surawan, who goes by one name.
The perpetrators are accused of moving the babies to Pontianak city on Borneo island and then sending more than a dozen of them onwards to Singapore, said the official.
"Based on documents, 14 (babies) were sent to Singapore," he said.
"The age range is clearly under one year old, with some three months old, five months old, and six months old."
Authorities managed to rescue five babies in Pontianak and one in Tangerang, a city near the Indonesian capital Jakarta. They also arrested a dozen suspects across Jakarta, Pontianak and the Javan city of Bandung.
"They are a syndicate, a baby trafficking syndicate. They each have their own roles," said Surawan.
Some of the suspects were allegedly tasked with finding the babies, while others cared for them, sheltered them or prepared civil registration documents, such as family cards and passports.
The syndicate had been in operation since 2023, Surawan said, based on suspect statements.
Police said they sought out "parents or mothers who refuse to care for their children" in return for money.
Surawan said the parent who reported a kidnapping "actually had an agreement" with the smugglers before their child's birth, but reported them when they did not receive payment afterwards.
Human trafficking is also a domestic problem across Indonesia. In one of the worst cases in recent years, at least 57 people were found caged on a palm oil plantation in North Sumatra in 2022. - AFP
