Indonesian authorities have arrested 12 suspects believed to be part of a baby trafficking syndicate that allegedly sent more than a dozen infants to Singapore, police revealed on Tuesday.
The investigation began after a parent reported a suspected baby kidnapping, which led officers to a suspect who confessed to trading 24 babies, according to West Java police’s director of general criminal investigation, Surawan.
The babies were reportedly moved to Pontianak city in Borneo before at least 14 were transported to Singapore. “The age range is clearly under one year old — some as young as three months, others five or six months old,” Surawan said.
Police managed to rescue six infants — five in Pontianak and one in Tangerang, near Jakarta. The suspects were arrested in coordinated operations across Jakarta, Bandung, and Pontianak.
Describing the group as a well-organised syndicate, Surawan said each member had a distinct role — from locating babies and sheltering them to preparing forged documents like family cards and passports. The syndicate is believed to have been operating since 2023.
Investigators revealed that the traffickers targeted vulnerable mothers willing to give up their babies in exchange for money. In a twist, the parent who filed the initial report had apparently agreed to the arrangement before the child’s birth but alerted authorities after the syndicate failed to deliver payment.
Human trafficking continues to plague Indonesia, both domestically and internationally. In one harrowing 2022 case, 57 victims were discovered caged on a palm oil plantation in North Sumatra.
