Police in Indonesia have apprehended 12 individuals following the discovery of a human trafficking network implicated in the adoption of over a dozen infants sent to Singapore. The investigation began when a parent reported a suspected baby kidnapping, which led authorities to a suspect who disclosed that he had facilitated the illicit transfer of 24 infants.

Surawan, the director of general criminal investigation for West Java police, explained that the majority of the infants were taken from their biological parents in the West Java province. The investigation revealed that the accused traffickers transported the babies to Pontianak on Borneo island before ultimately forwarding them to Singapore.

According to police records, 14 infants, all of whom were under one year old, including some as young as three months, were involved in this case. Law enforcement successfully rescued five babies in Pontianak and one in Tangerang, a city adjacent to Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Concurrently, they arrested individuals across Jakarta, Pontianak, and Bandung.

This trafficking syndicate operated with a specific division of roles among its members. Some suspects were reportedly in charge of locating children, while others provided care and shelter, as well as preparing necessary civil documents like family cards and passports for the infants. The infants were allegedly being sold for prices ranging from 11 million Indonesian Rupiah (approximately 6) to 16 million Indonesian Rupiah (around 3) for adoption by international families in Singapore.

The syndicate is believed to have been operational since 2023, as per statements from the arrested suspects. Police further disclosed that the organization sought out parents or mothers who were willing to relinquish care of their children in exchange for monetary compensation.

Interestingly, the parent who initiated the report of kidnapping had previously entered into an agreement with traffickers before the birth of their child but reported the case when they did not receive the promised payment. In response to this grim situation, Indonesian police have expressed intentions to coordinate with Interpol to trace any possible trafficked infants currently in Singapore.

Human trafficking remains a significant challenge in Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, which is comprised of over 17,000 islands. This incident highlights the urgent need for ongoing vigilance and collaborative efforts to combat trafficking and protect vulnerable children in the region.

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