A police syndicate that sends babies to Singapore

Indonesian police have discovered an international syndicate to children, allegedly selling at least 25 children to buyers in Singapore since 2023.

Authorities made 13 arrests related to syndicate in Indonesian cities of Pontian and Tarangan this week, and saved six babies who were going to trade – all of them for about a year.

“The babies were first housed in Pontianka and were organized by immigration documents before being sent to Singapore,” said the Western Criminal Investigation Director Surawan, BBC News Indonesia.

The BBC News contacted the Singapore police and the Singapore Ministry of Internal Affairs, but did not receive a response.

The alleged Syndicate mode was aimed at parents or future mothers who did not want to raise a child – in some cases when they initiated contact through Facebook before turning on more private channels such as WhatsApp, police reports.

“Some babies were even reserved while in the womb,” Suravan said. “After birth, the delivery costs were covered, then the money was provided and the child was accepted.”

Police said the group members included recruiters who would find children who would trade; the caretakers and the people who placed them; And others who have prepared fake civil documents, such as family cards and passports, explained.

After being taken away from their mothers, the babies were given to the wardens in two months before going to the Jakarta, and then the Pantyanka, where their birth certificates, passports and documents were prepared, the police said.

Children were sold for 11 million Rupee Indonesian ($ 673; £ 502) and 16 million Indonesian rupees, adding.

According to some of the arrested, the syndicate sold at least 12 male and 13 women in the country and abroad – most of them come from different areas and cities in the Indonesian province of Western Java.

Indonesian police said on Thursday that their “immediate task” was to find adopters in Singapore.

“We cross the data with the children who departed, so we know exactly who went, who accompanied them when they went, and who the adopter is there,” Suravan told reporters.

Most of the information collected by the police showed that the children changed nationality, he added, noting that the authorities were still looking for their passports.

Previously, Suravan told BBC Indonesia that babies were obtained through agreements between people and parents, and that the abduction had not yet been done. The parents who reported their child as stolen did it because the broker did not pay them, he said.

At least some parents may have agreed to sell their children out of financial difficulties. They could also be charged with a criminal offense, Suravan said.

“If it is proved that there was an agreement between the parents and the guilty, they can be accused of defending children and crimes that trade people,” he explained.

Police in Indonesia have asked for help in Interpol and Singapore police to arrest members of the syndicate abroad as well as buyers.

“We will list the guilty of both the right persons,” Suravan explained. “In addition, we will publish a red message or ask for law enforcement agencies in these countries to arrest them.”

Child trade syndicate are usually focused on women in desperate situations, reports Ai Rakhmayanti, Commissioner for Children’s Protection Commission (KPAI).

“For example, they became pregnant with sexual abuse, abandonment of her husband or unwanted pregnancy,” she said BBC News Indonesia.

Abortion is illegal in Indonesia, except for certain conditions such as emergencies and pregnancy resulting from rape.

AI Rahmayanti said that children or children are often presented as maternal clinics, orphanages or social shelters that appear to care about vulnerable women and children.

“These clinics or shelters use a language that first sounds merciful, for example,” you can give birth and pick up your baby home. “But in reality they offer money and illegally tolerate custody of the child,” she explains.

Although official data on the number of infants sold in Indonesia, KPAI’s own data on trafficking in human beings show that the trend is constant and increasing.

While in 2020, KPA recorded 11 cases of children as victims of illegal adoption, in 2023 he recorded 59 cases related to the abduction of children and trafficking in human beings under the guise of illegal adoption in 2023.

One of the latest cases in KPAI took place in 2024 when the infants were found in the process of selling in places such as Depok, West Java and Bali.

According to her, babies were sold at different prices.

“The Java (price is) between RP11 and RP15 million, while it can reach 20 million RP to 26 million RP,” she explained. “The price is also based on several indicators, one of which is the appearance of the child.”