Latest news with #baby-trafficking
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Indonesian police bust baby-trafficking syndicate that allegedly sold at least 24 infants
Indonesia's police have arrested 13 suspects after uncovering an alleged baby-trafficking syndicate in West Kalimantan, on Borneo island. The ring, which had operated since 2023, sold 24 babies, including 15 to customers in Singapore, police in West Java province said. They said six babies, aged between two and six months, were also rescued during the sting and were being cared for in a hospital in Bandung, the province's capital. Five of the six infants rescued were about to be sold in Singapore through Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province, police said. The exact number of babies allegedly taken by the syndicate remains unknown. Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan from West Java Police said the arrested suspects allegedly played "various roles" in the baby-trafficking syndicate. All but one of the arrested suspects were female. According to police, the investigation began after a parent reported that their baby was kidnapped. But it was later discovered the parents had agreed to sell the baby, but were not paid. "One of the parents planned to sell the baby, but because they were not paid, the other parent reported it as a kidnapping," Commissioner Surawan told CNN Indonesia. The majority of the babies were from Bandung but were transported to Pontianak, where police found fake identity documents. "That's where the babies were added to other people's family cards, and then other documents were created, including passports," Commissioner Surawan added. Police said the alleged offenders bought babies directly from mothers for amounts between 11 million and 16 million rupiah ($1,000 to $1,500). Police also found that parents who wanted to give up their babies were offered compensation, which included the cost of childbirth. Last year, an Indonesian man was charged after allegedly selling his child on Facebook for less than $1,500. Police found the father to be financially motivated because he was involved in online gambling. Most of the babies discovered in the recent sting were from West Java, the province with the second-highest poverty rate in Indonesia. According to data from the National Socio-Economic Survey released early this year, an estimated 3.67 million people in West Java lived below the poverty line. The deputy mayor of Bandung city urged hospitals to "strictly monitor" mothers who had just given birth. "Security officers must be more vigilant. Procedures for naming babies, assigning identification tags, and monitoring people entering and leaving must also be reviewed," said Deputy Mayor Erwin, who goes by one name. There was no official data on the number of babies and kids being sold in Indonesia, but the Child Protection Commission told the ABC that reports and complaints related to child exploitation and trafficking had increased. The commission also said that a lack of economic subsidies for struggling families and information about legal adoption contributed to baby trafficking in Indonesia. The commission urged the Indonesian government to provide more financial assistance for raising children and childbirth, which can be cost-prohibitive for some parents. The Indonesian police said they would liaise with Interpol to track down the babies who were sold in Singapore.
CNA
5 days ago
- CNA
6 babies rescued as Indonesia busts trafficking ring, 5 bound for buyers in Singapore: Reports
SINGAPORE: Six infants, with five allegedly intended to be sold to buyers in Singapore, have been rescued by local authorities in Indonesia after they busted a baby-trafficking ring that has reportedly carried out 24 such deals since 2023. And 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 told CNA when contacted. 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. He had earlier told local media that the six rescued babies were aged between 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. Twelve people have been named suspects in the alleged human trafficking case and were arrested, Hendra Rochmawan, head of public relations for West Java Police, told local media on Monday. It is unclear when they were arrested. 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 deliver the infants to the clients' intended locations that include Singapore, local media Kompas reported. CNA has reached out to Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force for comments. INVESTIGATIONS ONGOING Authorities in Indonesia say 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,' Hendra was quoted as saying by local media. 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 few days ago,' Surawan said. He added: 'We are still investigating the babies that are already in Singapore and will coordinate with the Interpol to pursue this case further.' According to Surawan, the six infants rescued were sent to Bhayangkara Sartika Asih Hospital in Bandung 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 that 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 the price of about tens of millions of rupiah per baby. 'The babies were bought from the biological mothers for about 11 million to 16 million rupiah,' said Surawan in another interview on Tuesday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia. Surawan added that 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 was reported. In 2016, Indonesian authorities arrested three suspects in Batam for allegedly planning to sell a three-month-old baby boy to Singapore for about US$8,000.
