Latest news with #Surawan
The Star
19 hours ago
- The Star
Indonesia police detain 12 suspects over baby trafficking ring linked to Singapore
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. -HERALOEBSS/X 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
Borneo Post
19 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Indonesian police bust international baby trafficking ring, rescue six infants
AFP photo JAKARTA (July 16): Indonesian police have busted an international baby trafficking syndicate believed to have been operating since 2023, rescuing six infants and arresting 12 suspects in a major cross-province operation. Five of the babies were found in Pontianak, West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, and taken to West Java police headquarters, while another was rescued from the Greater Jakarta area, police said. West Java police spokesperson Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan said the suspects played various roles within the syndicate, including recruiting unborn babies, caring for them, and forging documents such as birth certificates and passports. 'The group also arranged the transport of the babies, who were allegedly intended for illegal adoption in Singapore,' he said in a statement. Police seized forged identity documents, passports and ownership papers during the arrests. According to West Java's General Criminal Investigations director Commissioner Surawan, one of the suspects had disclosed that five of the rescued babies had been scheduled to be sent to Singapore using fake paperwork. He also said the biological mothers were paid amounts ranging from IDR 11 million to IDR 16 million (approximately US$740 to US$1,070). The investigation, which began after a parent reported a suspected baby abduction, led police to uncover a wider trafficking network involving babies believed to have originated from various parts of West Java. Police are now working with the Indonesian National Police's International Relations Division to investigate possible cross-border trafficking links. – Bernama baby indonesia police Singapore trafficking West Java
The Print
a day ago
- The Print
Indonesian authorities bust baby trafficking ring; 5 of 6 infants were to be sold in Singapore
Twelve people have been named suspects in the alleged human trafficking case and were arrested, said the report citing Hendra Rochmawan, head of public relations for West Java Police. It is unclear when they were arrested. Singapore: Six infants, five of whom were allegedly intended to be sold to buyers in Singapore, have been rescued by authorities in Indonesia after they busted a baby trafficking ring and arrested 12 people, Channel News Asia reported on Tuesday. Of the 24 infants that have already been sold, 15 were taken to Singapore, Director of General Crime Investigation of West Java Police Department, Surawan, said. He added that of the six babies rescued, five were ready to be sent to buyers in Singapore, while one was to be sent to Pontianak, another region in Indonesian archipelago. He had earlier told local media that the six rescued babies were two to three months old. 'According to the suspects' statements, the babies were to be adopted in Singapore but we are still investigating this further,' Surawan was quoted as saying by news outlet CNN Indonesia. He said the 12 suspects held different roles in the syndicate, including acting as initial recruiters to being caregivers to the babies as well as couriers who delivered the infants to the clients' intended locations that include Singapore, local media Kompas reported. Authorities in Indonesia said the 12 suspects are undergoing interrogation for further investigations. 'We did not only detain the suspects, we also seized some evidence such as (fake) identity cards, passports and other documents identifying the victims,' local media quoted Hendra as saying. Meanwhile, Surawan also confirmed that the babies were intended to be transported to Singapore. 'Through the suspects, we managed to rescue five babies in Pontianak that were supposed to be sent to Singapore and already had the necessary documents. We also rescued another baby in Tangerang (a city in Banten province of Indonesia) a few days ago,' Surawan said. According to Surawan, the six infants rescued were sent to Bhayangkara Sartika Asih Hospital in Bandung (Capital of West Jawa) for medical treatment. 'The plan is for all victims to be placed in the shelter of the West Java Social Service,' said Surawan, as quoted by Kompas. He said the baby trafficking syndicate came to light after a parent made a report that his child had been kidnapped by an unknown person. 'Most of the cases originate from West Java. The case started from a report made by a parent whose child was kidnapped and we developed the case based on the suspects in West Java,' Surawan was quoted as saying by CNN Indonesia. Based on interrogations of the suspects, the police found that each baby successfully transported to Singapore was sold for about tens of millions of (Indonesian) rupiah. 'The babies were bought from the biological mothers for about 11 million to 16 million rupiah,' Surawan said in another interview on Tuesday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia. He said the suspects had obtained some of the babies from parents who voluntarily gave them up while others were allegedly kidnapped. This is not the first time a baby smuggling ring to Singapore from Indonesia has been busted. In 2016, Indonesian authorities arrested three suspects in Batam for allegedly planning to sell a three-month-old baby boy to Singapore for about USD 8,000, according to the media reports. According to the Singapore Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), couples seeking to adopt must be both permanent residents (PRs), or at least one of the partners should be a Singapore citizen. Those who would like to adopt a child as a sole applicant must either be a citizen or a PR. When it comes to adopting a foreign child in Singapore, an applicant will need a dependent's pass to bring the child into Singapore, according to the website of Singapore Family Lawyers, a law firm based in Singapore. The dependant's pass allows the child to remain in Singapore until the completion of the adoption process. To get the pass, the applicant must submit the child's identity documents and notarised consent from the child's birth parents or legal guardian. The notarised consent means that the birth parents or legal guardian, upon the issuance of the adoption order, has given up all their duties, rights and obligations to the child, as reported by the Channel News Asia. In some cases, the adoptive parents may also be required to go to the child's home country and comply with that country's requirements before the MSF will issue the dependent's pass. Once the pass is granted, the applicant can proceed to file for adoption through the Family Court. A Home Study Report is also necessary for anyone wanting to adopt a foreign child, or a child in MSF's care. This report will verify whether the applicant is a suitable parent to adopt and raise a child. Each report is valid for one adoption and lasts two years, according to the Singapore Channel. PTI GS DIV DIV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also Read: Quashing bail in UP child trafficking case, why SC issued a firm reminder to all states & high courts
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Indonesian police bust baby trafficking ring that sent infants to Singapore
BANDUNG, July 16 — 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 yesterday. 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 South-east Asia's biggest economy, a sprawling nation of more than 17,000 islands. 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
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Indonesia arrests 12 for trafficking babies to Singapore
Police in Indonesia have arrested 12 people after uncovering a human trafficking ring that has sent more than a dozen babies to Singapore for adoption. The West Java police told reporters on Tuesday that the case was discovered after a parent reported an alleged baby kidnapping, which led them to a suspect who admitted to trading 24 infants. Surawan, the police's director of general criminal investigation, who goes by one name, said the perpetrators took most of the infants from their biological parents in West Java province. They are accused of moving the babies to Pontianak city on Borneo island and then sending more than a dozen of them onwards to Singapore. '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, he said, while others cared for them, sheltered them or prepared civil registration documents, such as family cards and passports. The police officer added that the infants were to be sold for 11 million Indonesian Rupiah ($676) to 16 million Indonesian Rupiah ($983) to buyers for adoption in Singapore. The syndicate had been in operation since 2023, he 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. He added that police in Indonesia intend to coordinate with Interpol to 'locate possible trafficked infants in Singapore'. Human trafficking is also a domestic problem across Southeast Asia's biggest economy, a sprawling nation of more than 17,000 islands. 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.
