Bandung, IndonesiaSentinel.com — Police uncovered a baby trafficking syndicate via social media Facebook that occurred in the Depok area, West Java, arresting eight perpetrators. The Woman and Children Protection Unit (PPA) with the Depok Metro Police Criminal Investigation Unit began investigating the case after a public report regarding the incident and was able to reveal the syndicate.
“There were two babies intended to be sold, one male and one female, and they plan to take them to Bali,” said Depok Metro Police Chief Senior Commissioner Arya Perdana in his statement, Tuesday (3/9).
Arya said that this baby trafficking syndicate was well organized. They secured the babies from Facebook through advertisements, seeking out parents who wanted to sell their newborns. Offering them money of IDR 10 million – IDR 15 million (USD $645 – USD $968) for each baby. The traffickers then transported the babies to Bali, where they were resold for IDR 45 million (USD $3.000).
After a series of investigations, the police managed to arrest eight perpetrators. Of the perpetrators, four of them are biological parents who sell their own babies, three perpetrators are baby sellers, and one other acts as a receiver.
Mother with Mental Illness Kills Two Children in Their Sleep in Kediri
Investigation revealed that this syndicate has carried out baby transactions at least more than five times in the Bali area, which foreign nationals targeted as a potential buyer. This syndicate also applies a pre-order system, meaning they have made the transactions before the baby is born.
“They made an arrangement with the pregnant mother before the babies were born, and carried immediate transport to Bali right after birth,” he said.
Under Indonesian law, human trafficking carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in jail and a fine of IDR 600 million (USD $39 thousand). Those who violate the child protection law face a maximum of 15 years in jail and a fine of 300 million rupiah.
Police are expanding investigations on the suspicion that the syndicate’s activities might extend beyond Bali. “What we have discovered so far is limited to Bali, but organized international crime can occur anywhere, and the perpetrators could be from anywhere,” Arya noted.
(Raidi/Agung)
