Latest news with #baby trafficking
Independent Singapore
4 days ago
- 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
7 days ago
- 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.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Yahoo
'Booked in the womb' and sold for £500: Police bust baby trafficking ring
Indonesian police have uncovered an international baby trafficking syndicate which has allegedly sold at least 25 infants to buyers in Singapore since 2023. Authorities made 13 arrests related to the syndicate in the Indonesian cities of Pontianak and Tangerang this week, and rescued six babies who were about to be trafficked – all of whom are around a year old. "The babies were first housed in Pontianak and had their immigration documents arranged before being sent to Singapore," West Java Police's director of general criminal investigation, Surawan, told BBC News Indonesia. BBC News has contacted Singapore Police and Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs for comment, but received no response. The syndicate's alleged modus operandi was to target parents or expectant mothers who allegedly did not want to raise their child - in some cases initiating contact via Facebook before pivoting to more private channels such as WhatsApp, according to police. "Some babies were even booked while still in the womb," Surawan said. "Once born, the delivery costs were covered, then compensation money was given, and the baby was taken." Police said members of the group included recruiters who tracked down babies to be trafficked; caretakers and people who housed them; and others who prepared fraudulent civil documents such as family cards and passports, he explained. After being taken from their mothers, the babies were given to caretakers for two to three months before being sent to Jakarta and then Pontianak, where their birth certificates, passports, and documents were prepared, police said. The babies were sold for between 11 million Indonesian rupiah ($673; £502) and 16 million Indonesian rupiahs each, they added. According to some of those arrested, the syndicate sold at least 12 male and 13 female babies domestically and abroad - most of them having come from various districts and cities in the Indonesian province of West Java. Indonesian police on Thursday said that their "immediate task" was to find the adopters in Singapore. "We will cross-check the data with the babies who departed, so we know exactly who departed, who accompanied them, when they departed, and who the adopters there are," Surawan told reporters. Most of the information gathered by police indicated that the babies had changed nationality, he added, noting that authorities were still looking for their passports. Surawan earlier told BBC Indonesia that the babies were obtained through agreements between the traffickers and the parents, and that none so far had been taken by kidnapping. Parents who reported their child as kidnapped did so because the broker had failed to pay them, he said. It is suspected that at least some parents may have agreed to sell their children due to financial hardship. They too could be charged with a criminal offence, Surawan said. "If it is proven there was an agreement between the parents and the perpetrators, they can be charged with child protection crimes and human trafficking offenses," he explained. Police in Indonesia have requested assistance from Interpol and Singaporean police to arrest syndicate members who are still abroad, as well as buyers. "We will list the perpetrators as wanted persons," Surawan explained. "In addition, we will issue a red notice or request law enforcement in those countries to arrest them." Child trafficking syndicates typically target women in desperate situations, according to Ai Rahmayanti, commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI). "For example, they became pregnant due to sexual violence, abandonment by the husband, or unwanted pregnancies from casual relationships," she told BBC News Indonesia. Abortion is illegal in Indonesia except under certain conditions, such as medical emergencies and pregnancies resulting from rape. Ai Rahmayanti said baby or child trafficking syndicates often pose as maternity clinics, orphanages or social shelters that appear to care for vulnerable women and children. "These clinics or shelters use language that sounds compassionate at first, such as 'you can give birth and take your baby home'. But in reality, they offer money and illegally transfer custody of the baby," she explains. While there is no official data on the numbers of babies being sold in Indonesia, KPAI's own data on human trafficking crimes indicates that the trend is persistent and growing. While in 2020 KPAI recorded 11 cases of children as victims of illegal adoption, in 2023 it recorded 59 cases related to child abduction and trafficking under the guise of illegal adoption in 2023. One of the most recent cases that KPAI advocated occurred in 2024, when babies were found in the process of being sold in locations such as Depok, West Java and Bali. The babies, she said, were sold at varying prices. "In Java, [the price is] between Rp11 million and Rp15 million, while in Bali it can reach Rp20 million to Rp26 million," she explained. "The price is also based on several indicators, one of which is the baby's physical appearance." The trafficked children hiding in plain sight More than 150 arrests in global human trafficking crackdown
BBC News
18-07-2025
- BBC News
Indonesia: Police bust trafficking syndicate sending babies to Singapore
Indonesian police have uncovered an international baby trafficking syndicate which has allegedly sold at least 25 infants to buyers in Singapore since made 13 arrests related to the syndicate in the Indonesian cities of Pontianak and Tangerang this week, and rescued six babies who were about to be trafficked – all of whom are around a year old."The babies were first housed in Pontianak and had their immigration documents arranged before being sent to Singapore," West Java Police's director of general criminal investigation, Surawan, told BBC News News has contacted Singapore Police and Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs for comment, but received no response. The syndicate's alleged modus operandi was to target parents or expectant mothers who allegedly did not want to raise their child - in some cases initiating contact via Facebook before pivoting to more private channels such as WhatsApp, according to police."Some babies were even booked while still in the womb," Surawan said. "Once born, the delivery costs were covered, then compensation money was given, and the baby was taken."Police said members of the group included recruiters who tracked down babies to be trafficked; caretakers and people who housed them; and others who prepared fraudulent civil documents such as family cards and passports, he being taken from their mothers, the babies were given to caretakers for two to three months before being sent to Jakarta and then Pontianak, where their birth certificates, passports, and documents were prepared, police babies were sold for between 11 million Indonesian rupiah ($673; £502) and 16 million Indonesian rupiahs each, they to some of those arrested, the syndicate sold at least 12 male and 13 female babies domestically and abroad - most of them having come from various districts and cities in the Indonesian province of West police on Thursday said that their "immediate task" was to find the adopters in Singapore."We will cross-check the data with the babies who departed, so we know exactly who departed, who accompanied them, when they departed, and who the adopters there are," Surawan told of the information gathered by police indicated that the babies had changed nationality, he added, noting that authorities were still looking for their passports. Surawan earlier told BBC Indonesia that the babies were obtained through agreements between the traffickers and the parents, and that none so far had been taken by kidnapping. Parents who reported their child as kidnapped did so because the broker had failed to pay them, he is suspected that at least some parents may have agreed to sell their children due to financial hardship. They too could be charged with a criminal offence, Surawan said."If it is proven there was an agreement between the parents and the perpetrators, they can be charged with child protection crimes and human trafficking offenses," he in Indonesia have requested assistance from Interpol and Singaporean police to arrest syndicate members who are still abroad, as well as buyers."We will list the perpetrators as wanted persons," Surawan explained. "In addition, we will issue a red notice or request law enforcement in those countries to arrest them."Child trafficking syndicates typically target women in desperate situations, according to Ai Rahmayanti, commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI)."For example, they became pregnant due to sexual violence, abandonment by the husband, or unwanted pregnancies from casual relationships," she told BBC News is illegal in Indonesia except under certain conditions, such as medical emergencies and pregnancies resulting from Rahmayanti said baby or child trafficking syndicates often pose as maternity clinics, orphanages or social shelters that appear to care for vulnerable women and children."These clinics or shelters use language that sounds compassionate at first, such as 'you can give birth and take your baby home'. But in reality, they offer money and illegally transfer custody of the baby," she there is no official data on the numbers of babies being sold in Indonesia, KPAI's own data on human trafficking crimes indicates that the trend is persistent and in 2020 KPAI recorded 11 cases of children as victims of illegal adoption, in 2023 it recorded 59 cases related to child abduction and trafficking under the guise of illegal adoption in of the most recent cases that KPAI advocated occurred in 2024, when babies were found in the process of being sold in locations such as Depok, West Java and babies, she said, were sold at varying prices."In Java, [the price is] between Rp11 million and Rp15 million, while in Bali it can reach Rp20 million to Rp26 million," she explained. "The price is also based on several indicators, one of which is the baby's physical appearance."
CNA
16-07-2025
- CNA
Indonesia busts baby trafficking ring; 5 bound for buyers in Singapore
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