The suspect, only identified as RH, was nabbed at the Pekanbaru-based airport on Thursday, June 19, shortly before flying to Malaysia, Banda Aceh Police Chief Commissioner Fadillah Aditya Pratama said.
"She has been transported to Banda Aceh for investigation," he said, adding that the suspect hailed from Muara Satu Subdistrict, Lhokseumawe City, about 274 km away from Banda Aceh.
The Aceh police could apprehend RH thanks to solid collaboration with the Agency for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BP2MI) as well as the customs and excise and immigration authorities, he said.
The Aceh police investigators had named RH a suspect in a child trafficking for prostitution case after she allegedly trafficked the teenage girl, only identified as PAF, he said.
This 16-year-old victim of human trafficking, who hailed from Aceh Besar District, was reported missing, but in December 2024, she could be saved by members of the Acehnese community in Malaysia, Pratama said.
She has reunited with her family thanks to the BP2MI and police officers who picked her up in Malaysia to bring her back home while the suspect is charged with Articles 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, and 17 of Indonesia's Law 21/2007 on Human Trafficking, he said.
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Translator: Rahmat F, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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