The scheme involved the biological parents and a perpetrator identified as AF, who falsely posed as a potential adopter.
Head of Public Relations for the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan, stated in Bandung on Wednesday that the expectant parents communicated with the perpetrator, believing their baby would be adopted by a childless married couple, as AF had claimed.
Hendra remarked that AF maintained contact with the baby's mother up to the day of delivery.
They agreed the parents would receive Rp10 million (around US$616) from the perpetrator after the baby was born.
However, AF only transferred Rp600 thousand (roughly US$37) to cover the midwife's fees and then immediately took the baby without fulfilling the promised payment.
Feeling deceived, the parents eventually reported the incident to the police.
This report led authorities to discover that AF was a member of a baby trafficking syndicate active since 2023.
"The perpetrator, AF, is from Bandung (West Java) and, according to his confession, has handled at least 25 babies," Hendra revealed.
Meanwhile, Director of General Criminal Investigation at the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Surawan, noted that most trafficked babies were between two and three months of age.
These infants were cared for in Bandung for around three months before being sent to Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
The police found that Pontianak, West Kalimantan, served as a crucial transit point for transporting the babies to Singapore.
In Pontianak, the syndicate fabricated population and immigration documents for the infants.
"Pontianak is where the documents are made. The babies were added to other people's family cards, and passports were then issued for them to be sent abroad. Most of the suspects also reside in Pontianak," Surawan explained.
Meanwhile, West Java Regional Police investigators are probing the motives behind parents selling their babies to Singapore, with 12 suspects now in custody.
Surawan stated that officers are continuing to trace the origins of the babies and investigate the involvement of the parents in the trafficking scheme.
"One victim indicated that economic hardship was the motive. We are still tracing the babies' origins, identifying their parents, and examining their motives. We are also investigating information provided by a recruiting suspect," he remarked.
He noted that one of the newly named suspects, identified as Y, was apprehended at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, after being intercepted upon reentry from abroad with the assistance of immigration officers.
"The individual is an Indonesian citizen, as are all suspects arrested so far," he revealed.
The investigation is still underway, with the West Java Regional Police coordinating with various agencies, including Interpol, to dismantle the transnational baby trafficking network.
Related news: Police save two baby boys from being trafficked
Translator: Rubby Jovan Primananda, Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Editor: Primayanti
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