2 Women Perpetrators Of Trafficking In Persons Arrested, Victims Arrested In Turkey

The Directorate of General Crimes (Dittipidum) of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the National Police has arrested two suspects in a criminal case of trafficking in persons (TPPO) named Suarty B Riartika alias Tika and Ani Puji Astutik alias Elisa.

Head of the Public Information Bureau of the Public Relations Division of the National Police Brigadier General Pol Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko explained that Tika and Elisa were arrested in Cileungsi, Bogor, West Java and Ciledug, Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday, January 25.

The case of trafficking in persons by Tika and Elisa began with 10 Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) abroad in December 2022-February 2023 in stages.

"The reported recruits promised the victims working as household assistants (ART) in Erbil with a salary of 300 dollars," Trunoyudo said in his statement, Sunday, January 28.

After the lure, the victim agreed and made a tourist visa passport, and was given a fee that varied from Rp. 3 million-13 million. After the completion of the passport and without a medical check-up, the victims were sent abroad by the suspect Elis to the country destination Turkey via Soekarno Hatta Airport and Juanda Airport Surabaya.

The victims were dispatched to Turkey using a tourist visa, and while in Turkey the victims were handed over to an agency called Muhammad and accommodated in an apartment guarded by a person named Yakub.

"The victim's belongings, such as passports, cellphones and also the clothes of the victims were taken and secured by Muhammad and Yakub," explained Trunoyudo.

Upon arrival in Turkey, as many as 26 victims of TIP were held captive in one room under the pretext of a shelter and prohibited from speaking. If there are victims who speak, they will be punished.

"The victims were in shelters varying for 1 week to 2 months, arguing that the victims had not been sent to Erbil to be employed because they were still waiting for visas," he said.

Long waiting, the victims finally asked for apartment security assistance and reported the incident to the Turkish Police, resulting in a raid.

"From the raid, PMIs were handed over to the Indonesian Consulate General in Istanbul and the victims were returned to Indonesia," Trunoyudo explained.

From this case, the suspect Tika played a role inccommodating the victims before being flown abroad. Meanwhile, the suspect Elisa acted as an agency in Jakarta that dispatched the victims to Turkey.

The two suspects were also charged with Trafficking in Persons (TPPO) and/or Criminal Acts of Placing Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) abroad not according to the procedure as referred to in Article 10 in conjunction with Article 4 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning TIP and Or Article 81 in conjunction with Article 86 of Law Number 18 of 2018 concerning the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers.