(Bandung, 18th) An Indonesian human trafficking syndicate that recruited fake parents to take babies to Singapore under the guise of tourism for adoption, is expected to be charged in West Java's court in March.
This group is suspected of trafficking 25 babies, of which 15—aged between five months and 14 months—were taken to Singapore.
The syndicate gave the babies' biological parents between 10 million and 20 million Indonesian rupiah (approximately RM5,355), then resold the babies to Singapore for adoption. It is known that adoptive parents paid at least RM63,000.
The West Java police Special Crimes Director, Aide, told The Straits Times that these babies were targeted even while still in the womb. The main targets of the syndicate were pregnant women from poor families who already had multiple children.
Traffickers would pay a deposit to “reserve” the unborn babies, and cover prenatal examination and delivery costs. After the baby was born, those with better looks were sold to Singapore, while the others were resold domestically.
Investigators found that the group recruited married couples, and used forged birth certificates to register the purchased babies in their family registration books. The family registration book records the names of family members and must be provided when applying for passports or school in Indonesia.
Aide said babies bought from cities such as Bandung, Sukabumi, and Cianjur in West Java were taken to the capital of West Kalimantan Province, Pontianak, to obtain the necessary documents. They were then flown directly from Jakarta to Singapore, instead of—as speculated by some—flying to Johor, Malaysia first and entering Singapore by land.
Women's and children's rights advocate Maria said that baby traffickers disguised themselves as couples traveling abroad with young children. Some even joined tour groups. Once the trip was over, they would find an excuse to leave the group and hand the baby over to the adoptive parents.
She pointed out that the syndicate might also use Singapore as a transit point for trafficking babies, and called on the Indonesian government to strengthen law enforcement, especially by investigating suspicious cases where "a family of three leaves the country but only two return."
Aide revealed that one of the main suspects in the syndicate is from Pontianak and has established an extensive baby trafficking network there. Police will submit investigation reports on 13 suspects to the West Java Prosecutor’s Office by the end of this month in preparation for prosecution. According to Indonesian law, the maximum penalty for human trafficking is up to 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 600 million rupiah (about RM141,750).
The Singapore government is working closely with Indonesia to investigate cases of Indonesian babies being trafficked to Singapore for adoption. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development issued a joint statement on January 9, stating that since receiving a request from Indonesian police last September, the police force and Ministry of Social and Family Development have maintained contact with their Indonesian counterparts to share progress on the investigation. Authorities have also communicated with the affected adoptive families and explained the situation.
This group is suspected of trafficking 25 babies, of which 15—aged between five months and 14 months—were taken to Singapore.
The syndicate gave the babies' biological parents between 10 million and 20 million Indonesian rupiah (approximately RM5,355), then resold the babies to Singapore for adoption. It is known that adoptive parents paid at least RM63,000.
Traffickers would pay a deposit to “reserve” the unborn babies, and cover prenatal examination and delivery costs. After the baby was born, those with better looks were sold to Singapore, while the others were resold domestically.
Investigators found that the group recruited married couples, and used forged birth certificates to register the purchased babies in their family registration books. The family registration book records the names of family members and must be provided when applying for passports or school in Indonesia.
Aide said babies bought from cities such as Bandung, Sukabumi, and Cianjur in West Java were taken to the capital of West Kalimantan Province, Pontianak, to obtain the necessary documents. They were then flown directly from Jakarta to Singapore, instead of—as speculated by some—flying to Johor, Malaysia first and entering Singapore by land.
Women's and children's rights advocate Maria said that baby traffickers disguised themselves as couples traveling abroad with young children. Some even joined tour groups. Once the trip was over, they would find an excuse to leave the group and hand the baby over to the adoptive parents.
She pointed out that the syndicate might also use Singapore as a transit point for trafficking babies, and called on the Indonesian government to strengthen law enforcement, especially by investigating suspicious cases where "a family of three leaves the country but only two return."
Aide revealed that one of the main suspects in the syndicate is from Pontianak and has established an extensive baby trafficking network there. Police will submit investigation reports on 13 suspects to the West Java Prosecutor’s Office by the end of this month in preparation for prosecution. According to Indonesian law, the maximum penalty for human trafficking is up to 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 600 million rupiah (about RM141,750).
The Singapore government is working closely with Indonesia to investigate cases of Indonesian babies being trafficked to Singapore for adoption. Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development issued a joint statement on January 9, stating that since receiving a request from Indonesian police last September, the police force and Ministry of Social and Family Development have maintained contact with their Indonesian counterparts to share progress on the investigation. Authorities have also communicated with the affected adoptive families and explained the situation.