Latest news with #West Java


Independent Singapore
21-07-2025
- Independent Singapore
Indonesian police dismantle baby trafficking ring and rescue 5 infants headed to Singapore
INDONESIA: Indonesian police have broken up a cross-border baby trafficking ring operating out of West Java, rescuing six infants, five of whom were reportedly set to be put on sale in Singapore. The operation, led by local authorities in Bandung, uncovered disturbing details of a syndicate that has allegedly sold at least 24 babies since 2023. Of those, police believe 15 were trafficked to Singapore. The rescued infants, some only two months old, are now under medical care at a Bandung hospital. Authorities say the babies were being prepared for adoption abroad, with each being sold for amounts ranging from tens of millions of Indonesian rupiah, equivalent to hundreds or even thousands of Singapore dollars. Speaking to CNA, West Java police confirmed that the ring profited off both abducted children and babies voluntarily given up by their birth parents. Investigators found that the price for babies surrendered by their parents typically ranged between 11 million and 16 million rupiah, roughly S$866 to over S$1,200. In contrast, abducted infants were sold at significantly higher prices through underground networks posing as adoption facilitators. The primary suspect, now in custody, reportedly confessed to orchestrating the planned transfer of the six rescued babies. Police are now working with regional and international agencies to track down other members of the syndicate and identify those involved on the receiving end of the transactions. Investigations are ongoing, with more arrests expected in the coming weeks. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });


Independent Singapore
18-07-2025
- Independent Singapore
Indonesian police bust baby trafficking ring with links to Singapore adoptions
Indonesia/Singapore: In a story that raises disturbing questions about desperation, exploitation, and cross-border ethics, Indonesian police have arrested 12 individuals involved in what they describe as a baby trafficking syndicate — a network that allegedly moved infants from West Java to Singapore under the guise of adoption. They also arrested a dozen suspects across Jakarta, Pontianak and the Javanese city of Bandung. The ring came to light after parents — who were allegedly complicit in the scheme — reported their children missing when promised payments from traffickers failed to materialise. Authorities say the syndicate operated across multiple provinces, targeting mothers in crisis — unwed, impoverished, or otherwise unable to care for their newborns — and offering them money in exchange for their babies. According to West Java police, at least 24 infants were trafficked, with 14 documented as sent to Singapore , some as young as three months old . The babies were reportedly moved from Java to Pontianak in Borneo , and then abroad. Six infants were rescued in time — five in Pontianak and one near Jakarta — but for the rest, their whereabouts remain uncertain. 'These were not isolated incidents,' said Surawan , director of general criminal investigation, who spoke on behalf of the Indonesian police. 'This was a syndicate. Each member had a defined role — from recruiting mothers to falsifying documents, to arranging passports and logistics.' The infants were allegedly sold by their parents for IDR 11 million to 16 million , or about S$900 to S$1,300 — a price that reflects not just the desperation of the seller, but the demand of the buyer. A human crisis, not just a criminal one Trafficking syndicates thrive in environments where marginalised mothers have few choices. In this case, many of the women were said to have 'agreed' to the process, but in contexts where consent is blurred by poverty, trauma, and manipulation. This case is not unique to Indonesia. Across the Global South, 'manufactured orphans' are not a rarity but a symptom of a larger crisis: unprotected motherhood. In India , Guatemala , and even parts of Africa , babies have been stolen, sold, or substituted for stillbirths. Parents are often deceived into signing away rights they don't understand, with adoption framed as education or shelter. These are not just legal violations. They are failures of social support , access to justice , and international safeguards on adoption practices. More than law enforcement This is not just a matter of law enforcement. It's a humanitarian issue. The economic desperation that drives mothers to surrender their infants cannot be solved by arrests alone. Singaporean's have expressed their concerns about ethical adoption and child welfare, activists have called on authorities to also strengthen transparency in our adoption ecosystem — including scrutiny of agencies , cross-border procedures , and adoption motivations . For now, six children are safe. But many more may have been quietly passed across a border, into new names, new identities, and families that may never know the truth. The real crime isn't just what's illegal. It's what becomes invisible.


South China Morning Post
16-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
14 Indonesian babies trafficked to Singapore? Jakarta's envoy has his doubts
Jakarta's ambassador to Singapore has expressed scepticism about the existence of an Indonesian baby trafficking syndicate following the arrest of 12 people for smuggling infants to the city state by West Java police. Suryopratomo claimed he had not received any reports about the alleged trafficking ring when contacted by Tempo news magazine on Tuesday. 'I don't know,' he said in a brief text message. 'What is the evidence of baby sales to Singapore? I cannot comment on something unclear.' He did not believe it was likely that such a syndicate could operate. Citing Singapore's strict immigration checks, he said it was almost impossible to smuggle infants into the country. 'It seems unlikely. Entering Singapore is difficult,' he said. Firstly, proper papers are needed. 'If the baby uses an Indonesian passport, how would they bring them to Singapore?' Suryopratomo queried. The process of getting a Singapore passport was tedious and any of the passports the police had confiscated were unlikely to be genuine, he said. Furthermore, even if the passports were valid, airport authorities would ask after the infants' parents. '[Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoint Authority] will surely ask the perpetrators: 'Why is the baby not taken back home?'' he said. Earlier on Tuesday, West Java's regional police announced that they had uncovered an international baby trafficking ring, which had been operating since 2023. 'It is estimated that about 24 babies have been traded,' the police's public relations head Hendra Rochmawan said in a written statement. The case came to light after a parent reported an alleged baby kidnapping to local police. Investigations led them to a suspect who admitted to trading the infants, according to an Agence France-Presse report.


Al Jazeera
16-07-2025
- Al Jazeera
Indonesia arrests 12 for trafficking babies to Singapore
Police in Indonesia have arrested 12 people after uncovering a human trafficking ring that has sent more than a dozen babies to Singapore for adoption. The West Java police told reporters on Tuesday that the case was discovered after a parent reported an alleged baby kidnapping, which led them to a suspect who admitted to trading 24 infants. Surawan, the police's director of general criminal investigation, who goes by one name, said the perpetrators took most of the infants from their biological parents in West Java province. They are accused of moving the babies to Pontianak city on Borneo island and then sending more than a dozen of them onwards to Singapore. 'Based on documents, 14 [babies] were sent to Singapore,' he said. 'The age range is clearly under one year old, with some three months old, five months old, and six months old.' Authorities managed to rescue five babies in Pontianak and one in Tangerang, a city near the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. They also arrested a dozen suspects across Jakarta, Pontianak and the Javan city of Bandung. 'They are a syndicate, a baby trafficking syndicate. They each have their own roles,' said Surawan. Some of the suspects were allegedly tasked with finding the babies, he said, while others cared for them, sheltered them or prepared civil registration documents, such as family cards and passports. The police officer added that the infants were to be sold for 11 million Indonesian Rupiah ($676) to 16 million Indonesian Rupiah ($983) to buyers for adoption in Singapore. The syndicate had been in operation since 2023, he said, based on suspect statements. Police said they sought out 'parents or mothers who refuse to care for their children' in return for money. Surawan said the parent who reported a kidnapping 'actually had an agreement' with the smugglers before their child's birth, but reported them when they did not receive payment afterwards. He added that police in Indonesia intend to coordinate with Interpol to 'locate possible trafficked infants in Singapore'. Human trafficking is also a domestic problem across Southeast Asia's biggest economy, a sprawling nation of more than 17,000 islands. In one of the worst cases in recent years, at least 57 people were found caged on a palm oil plantation in North Sumatra in 2022.