The Details:

Hendra Rochmawan, head of public relations for the West Java Police, told local media that the 12 suspects held different roles in the syndicate, including acting as initial recruiters, being caregivers to the babies, and acting as couriers who delivered the infants to the clients’ intended destinations. According to local media, Singapore was one of those destinations.

“We did not only detain the suspects, we also seized some evidence such as (fake) identity cards, passports and other documents identifying the victims,” Rochmawan noted.

The Director of General Criminal Investigation, known solely by the name Surawan, also indicated that probes are still ongoing, not ruling out the possibility that babies were trafficked to countries besides Singapore.

“Most of the babies come from the West Java region. Our initial information came from reports by parents regarding suspected child abductions. Based on preliminary findings, 24 babies have already been trafficked,” Surawan declared, in remarks quoted by the Jakarta Globe. 

The Globe added: 

The perpetrators disguised their activities as adoption processes when in fact the goal was to sell babies abroad. Each baby was priced at around Rp 11 million (approximately USD 700).

The suspects are now charged under child abduction and/or human trafficking laws, with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.”

As per Surawan, the six babies who were rescued were transported to Bhayangkara Sartika Asih Hospital in Bandung for medical treatment.

“The plan is for all victims to be placed in the shelter of the West Java Social Service,” said Surawan, as reported by Kompas. 

Furthermore, Surawan elaborated, “Most of the cases originate from West Java. The case started from a report made by a parent whose child was kidnapped, and we developed the case based on the suspects in West Java.”

What We’re Hearing:

According to investigations conducted on the suspects, authorities discovered that each baby successfully transported to Singapore was sold for the price of up to 20 million rupiah (a little over $1,200 USD).

“The babies were bought from the biological mothers for about 11 million to 16 million rupiah [about $675-$981 USD],” said Surawan in another interview, as cited by CNN Indonesia. Surawan stated that the suspects had obtained some of the babies from parents who voluntarily gave them up while others were reportedly abducted. 

This is not the first time a baby smuggling ring to Singapore from Indonesia was uncovered. In 2016, Indonesian authorities detained three suspects in Batam for allegedly intending to sell a three-month-old baby boy to Singapore for about US $8,000. 

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“We did not only detain the suspects, we also seized some evidence such as (fake) identity cards, passports and other documents identifying the victims,” Rochmawan noted.

The Director of General Criminal Investigation, known solely by the name Surawan, also indicated that probes are still ongoing, not ruling out the possibility that babies were trafficked to countries besides Singapore.

“Most of the babies come from the West Java region. Our initial information came from reports by parents regarding suspected child abductions. Based on preliminary findings, 24 babies have already been trafficked,” Surawan declared, in remarks quoted by the Jakarta Globe. 

The Globe added: 

The perpetrators disguised their activities as adoption processes when in fact the goal was to sell babies abroad. Each baby was priced at around Rp 11 million (approximately USD 700).

The suspects are now charged under child abduction and/or human trafficking laws, with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.”

As per Surawan, the six babies who were rescued were transported to Bhayangkara Sartika Asih Hospital in Bandung for medical treatment.

“The plan is for all victims to be placed in the shelter of the West Java Social Service,” said Surawan, as reported by Kompas. 

Furthermore, Surawan elaborated, “Most of the cases originate from West Java. The case started from a report made by a parent whose child was kidnapped, and we developed the case based on the suspects in West Java.”

What We’re Hearing:

According to investigations conducted on the suspects, authorities discovered that each baby successfully transported to Singapore was sold for the price of up to 20 million rupiah (a little over $1,200 USD).

“The babies were bought from the biological mothers for about 11 million to 16 million rupiah [about $675-$981 USD],” said Surawan in another interview, as cited by CNN Indonesia. Surawan stated that the suspects had obtained some of the babies from parents who voluntarily gave them up while others were reportedly abducted. 

This is not the first time a baby smuggling ring to Singapore from Indonesia was uncovered. In 2016, Indonesian authorities detained three suspects in Batam for allegedly intending to sell a three-month-old baby boy to Singapore for about US $8,000. 

Follow Live Action News on Facebook and Instagram for more pro-life news.