TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian authorities in Ngawi Resort Police unmasked an infant trafficking case, where more than 10 babies in East Java and Jakarta were trafficked.
According to Ngawi Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Charles Pandapotan Tampubolon, the modus operandi of the human trafficking ring was to adopt newborn babies "as their own," said Charles in a written statement on Sunday, June 1, 2025.
The traffickers, Charles revealed, targeted pregnant women in vulnerable economic conditions, assuming that they would give up their babies for care or adoption after giving birth.
However, instead of caring for the babies they had adopted as promised, the perpetrators sought people willing to adopt the babies. "They sought profits from the baby adopters by asking for money under the pretext of covering childbirth expenses," said Charles.
Based on the investigation, the perpetrators were found to have made millions in rupiah from the baby trafficking practice. Suspect SA made a profit of Rp4 million, ZM Rp2.5 million, R Rp1 million, and SEB Rp2 million.
Charles confirmed that the four suspects have been arrested by the police for human trafficking. "They are detained at the Ngawi Resort Police, along with the evidence for further processing," he said.
The traffickers are charged under Article 83 in conjunction with Article 76 of the Child Protection Law, or Article 2 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 11 of the Human Trafficking Law. "With minimum jailtime of 3 years and a maximum of 15 years," said Charles.
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