Police arrest six members of viral incest-promoting Facebook group

The Star

22-05-2025

JAKARTA: Police have arrested six suspected members of a viral Facebook group accused of sharing incest-themed adult content, amid mounting public outrage and increasing demands for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The National Police's Director of Cyber Crimes, Brig Gen Himawan Bayu Aji, said the six suspects, which have been identified only by their initials DK, MR, MS, MJ, MA and KA, were arrested in separate operations across West Java, Central Java, Lampung and Bengkulu.
'The suspects have been charged under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, the Pornography Law, the Child Protection Law and the Sexual Violence Law, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of Rp 6 billion,' Himawan said on Wednesday (May 21), as reported by Kompas.com.
He said the six suspects were allegedly involved in a Facebook group called Fantasi Sedarah (Incest Fantasies), which went viral on May 14 for sharing incest-themed content, including explicit narratives, images and pornographic material, mostly targeting minors.
According to authorities, the group was allegedly created by suspect MR in August 2024 and had tens of thousands of members before it was taken down on May 15. Police found 402 images and seven videos containing child pornography on MR's devices.
One of the suspects, DK, was identified as an active contributor to the group and is accused of selling child pornographic material, charging Rp 50,000 for 20 videos and Rp 100,000 for a package of 40 videos and images.
Two other suspects, MS and MJ, were also among the group's most active members. Authorities allege they regularly produced explicit content involving minors using their mobile phones.
MJ had previously been on the Bengkulu Police's wanted list in connection with a similar case. Suspect MA was allegedly involved in downloading and distributing child pornography, with police discovering 66 images and two explicit videos involving minors on his devices.
The sixth suspect, KA, was found to be an active member not only of the Fantasi Sedarah group but also of several other Facebook groups promoting incest and the sexual exploitation of children.
Himawan said the police are continuing to track members of similar Facebook groups. Ai Maryati Solihah, chair of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), has called on the government to impose firm sanctions on the suspects and to intensify efforts to monitor child pornography on digital platforms.
"These types of groups pose a grave threat to the safety and well-being of Indonesian children," she said on Wednesday.
'There can be no tolerance for sexual abuse, particularly in communities that not only tried to normalise such practices but also systematically exploit children in the digital space. The state must take stern action to protect the victims and dismantle these networks,' she added.
KPAI Commissioner Kawiyan stressed that this case underscores how the digital space can become a breeding ground for child predators if platforms and the government do not effectively regulate and monitor content.
"There is no room for complacency. This is the moment for the state to demonstrate that the safety of children takes precedence over algorithms, traffic and digital profits," Kawiyan said.
In the wake of public outrage over the Fantasi Sedarah group, the Communications and Digital Affairs Ministry acted swiftly, coordinating with Meta, Facebook's parent company, to block the group, along with five others that shared similar content.
Meta said the sexual exploitation of children was "a horrific crime" that cannot be tolerated. The company assured that it had taken immediate action to remove these groups and protect users, especially teenagers and children, from harmful content.
"Over the years, we continue to develop advanced technologies to combat this crime and support law enforcement in investigating and prosecuting those responsible," a Meta spokesperson said in a recent statement, as quoted by Kompas.
The company stated that such policies are essential to deter offenders and prevent the spread of groups exploiting children sexually.
"[Online child predators] continuously adapt their tactics to evade detection. Our expert teams are actively monitoring emerging trends to stay one step ahead," Meta said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN