Sukabumi Police Reveals Child Trafficking Syndicate To Sukabumi

Sukabumi Police Chief AKBP Maruly Pardede when showing evidence belonging to suspects in a trafficking syndicate of people to Saudi Arabia at the Sukabumi Police Headquarters, Tuesday (13/6/2023). ANTARA/Aditya Rohman

SUKABUMI - Sukabumi Resort Police revealed a child trafficking syndicate to Saudi Arabia to be used as a household arranger by arresting five suspects in the Gegerbitung District, Sukabumi Regency, West Java.

"One of the five suspects is a woman who acts as a recruiter or broker. In this case, the suspect managed to recruit two underage girls aged 15 and 16, a resident of Gegerbitung District," said Sukabumi Police Chief AKBP Maruly Pardede as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, June 13.

According to Maruly, the disclosure of this case was based on a police report: Lp/B/641/Vi/2022/Res Sukabumi/West Java dated June 23, 2022. From this report, the Sukabumi Police Women and Children Protection Unit (PPA) carried out development and investigation until it finally succeeded in arresting the suspects on June 8, 2023.

The suspects arrested each with the initials ES (41) who acted as recruiters, then AR (56), MY (62) and RA (27) who were tasked with helping with the processing of fake documents.

The suspect U (47) who played a role in escorting the victim to check on health, and APS (54) who processed the victim's departure. Until now, the police are still hunting for suspects U and APS.

The police chief explained that this case began when the two victims, aged 15 and 16, met ES through social media Facebook in April 2022. After getting acquainted, ES asked for a WhatsApp number and then invited the two victims to work abroad, Saudi Arabia to be exact, with the lure of a large wage.

It is suspected that the victims who were motivated by the underprivileged family finally accepted the ES invitation and then they prepared a number of requirements. After being complete, the two minors were introduced to the APS for their departure to be processed.

Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, the victim first underwent a medical examination at a clinic in Jakarta. Then to complete the documents, perpetrators AR, ER and MY made fake documents so that the victim could get a travel visa abroad.

After various documents and conditions were met, the two victims were finally dispatched to Saudi Arabia. Before getting their employer, they were first accommodated in a shelter in Saudi Arabia and were not long distributed to their respective employers.

However, unfortunately, the two victims got employers who did not meet expectations because while working, they received inhumane treatment from their employer, and even often received violence. Not only that, the promised wages are also not as expected.

The two victims finally reported the incident to the family in Sukabumi Regency and the family forwarded the report to the Sukabumi Police Satreskrim. The 16-year-old victim was successfully discharged after one month or in June 2022 as a household assistant in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the 15-year-old victim is still in Saudi Arabia and is currently trying to repatriate him to Indonesia through coordination with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Consulate General in Saudi Arabia.

From the suspects confiscated evidence in the form of three cell phones belonging to the perpetrators which were allegedly used to recruit victims, a bundle of documents belonging to the victim containing KTP, KK, passport, and plane ticket, as well as a bundle of documents for returning from abroad.

The suspects were charged with Article 2 Paragraph (1), (2) and Article 6 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Eradication of the Crime of Trafficking in Persons, with a minimum prison sentence of three years and a maximum of 15 years and a fine of at least Rp120 million and a maximum of Rp600 million.

Until now, the Sukabumi Police are still developing this case because it is suspected that it is still another victim of this syndicate.

"If there are people who feel that their relatives and families are victims of TIP, they should immediately report to the Sukabumi Police," said the Police Chief.