Victims Of Baby Trafficking In People In West Java Increase To 43, Dozens Have Been Sent To Singapore

Archives - suspects in the infant trafficking syndicate case when escorted by officers at the West Java Police Headquarters, Thursday (17/7/2025). ANTARA/Rubby Jovan

BANDUNG West Java Regional Police revealed that the number of infants who were victims in the criminal case of trafficking in persons (TPPO) increased to 43 children.

A total of 17 of them are known to have been sent to Singapore via an international adoption network.

The Director of General Criminal Investigation at the West Java Police, Kombes Surawan, said that this case continued to develop as the investigation of the arrested suspects.

"For the international one, from the existing data, 17 babies have been sent to Singapore and we have managed to secure eight babies from the network," said Surawan in Bandung, Antara, Thursday, August 7.

According to Surawan, the TIP syndicate sells babies for adoption needs, both locally and internationally. Police searches found new facts that most babies are sold through networks that have been neatly organized.

"So, there are indeed a lot of new findings, especially about babies. It turns out that some of the babies are part of the international adoption network, there is also for local adoption," he said.

For the local network, said Surawan, 13 babies were known to come from a perpetrator named Astri, who then handed over the babies to another perpetrator named Jek. In this network, the price of the baby is set at between Rp. 10 million to Rp. 15 million.

So far, the police have named 20 people as suspects in this case. In addition, six other people are still being searched or on the wanted list (DPO).

"Two DPOs are in West Java, while the other four are in Pontianak. Their role is as caregivers as well as fake mothers who take babies abroad," said Surawan.

He also revealed that the perpetrators often disguised themselves as biological mothers in the process of caring for babies. All babies are treated without the assistance of health workers.

"The fulfillment was carried out independently by a fake mother. The baby who was found dead in Pontianak was suspected of being sick," he said.

Police are still investigating this infant trafficking network, including distribution channels, the role of each perpetrator, and the alleged involvement of other parties in the adoption process that is not in accordance with legal procedures.