Dismantling Online Prostitution In Palembang, Police Set 2 Dozens Of Youths As Suspects

Evidence confiscated from the online prostitution business at the Palembang hotel was shown, Monday (21/11/2022) ANTARA/M Riezko Bima

The police have named two teenagers with the initials MRP (19) and HJ (17) as suspects in the online prostitution business. Their illicit business was revealed at a hotel in the Palembang area, South Sumatra (Sumsel).

Head of Sub-Directorate IV of PPA Ditreskrimum Polda South Sumatra, Kompol Tri Wahyudi, said the male suspect was domiciled on Jalan Swadaya, Palembang.

"The suspects were proven to have sold their victims at a price of Rp. 400,000 through Michat's online messaging application," he said in Palembang, South Sumatra, Tuesday, November 22, confiscated from Antara.

KMRP and HJ were named suspects after the police declared the adequacy of the completeness of the evidence.

The evidence is in the form of two boxes of male contraceptives, two units of Samsung J7 prime and Samsung A02 brand phones, several pieces of money from prostitution services of Rp50,000 denominations and one foreign currency in the form of one Malaysian ringgit.

He said that the investigators admitted to getting a quota of Rp. 50,000-Rp. 100,000 from each customer who used the use of the services of the victim.

The victim, who was sold by the suspect to serve the masher, had the initials AS or Aurel (16), West Ilir 1, Palembang warha.

"The suspect sold the victim for more than two months through the Michat application in a day there were 2-3 customers who they served at the hotel," he said.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with the ITE Law article 45 paragraph 1 in conjunction with Law Number 19/2016 with a maximum imprisonment of six years or a fine of IDR 1 billion.

This case was revealed thanks to the many complaints received by the public through the assistance number of the South Sumatra Police 081370002110.

In the report, the public admits that they often find the activities of teenage boys and girls aged in and out of the hotel area almost every night indicated by prostitutes.

Suspicious activities are easily found by the public because hotels and inns in Palembang are notabene located near residential areas.

Ditreskrimum Polda South Sumatra, Kombes Pol Anwar Reksowidjojo, said that one of the hotels reported by the public was indicated as a place for the prostitution business located on Jalan Kol H Burlian, Kebun Bunga, Palembang.

The indication was later found to be true after personnel from Sub-Directorate IV for the Protection of Women and Children at the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the South Sumatra Police conducted a search, on Sunday, November 20, at around 21.00 WIB.

The police arrested as many as 20 suspected prostitutes, including the hotel entrepreneur, to the South Sumatra Police Headquarters to undergo further investigation.

Until Tuesday afternoon, investigators named the MRP and HJ as suspects for online prostitution, the rest were still under development.

Apart from that, the search operation to hotels and inns will continue, including five-star hotels as reported by residents. "This is done as an effort to free Palembang from community disease," he said.