Indonesian authorities bust baby trafficking syndicate, 5 of 6 rescued were to be sold in Singapore

Singapore, Jul 16 (PTI) Six infants, five of whom were allegedly intended to be sold to buyers in Singapore, have been rescued by authorities in Indonesia after they busted a baby trafficking ring and arrested 12 people, Channel News Asia reported on Tuesday.

The syndicate reportedly carried out 24 such deals since 2023.

Twelve people have been named suspects in the alleged human trafficking case and were arrested, said the report citing Hendra Rochmawan, head of public relations for West Java Police. It is unclear when they were arrested.

Of the 24 infants that have already been sold, 15 were taken to Singapore, Director of General Crime Investigation of West Java Police Department, Surawan, said.

He added that of the six babies rescued, five were ready to be sent to buyers in Singapore, while one was to be sent to Pontianak, another region in Indonesian archipelago.

He had earlier told local media that the six rescued babies were two to three months old.

"According to the suspects' statements, the babies were to be adopted in Singapore but we are still investigating this further," Surawan was quoted as saying by news outlet CNN Indonesia.

He said the 12 suspects held different roles in the syndicate, including acting as initial recruiters to being caregivers to the babies as well as couriers who delivered the infants to the clients' intended locations that include Singapore, local media Kompas reported.

Authorities in Indonesia said the 12 suspects are undergoing interrogation for further investigations.

"We did not only detain the suspects, we also seized some evidence such as (fake) identity cards, passports and other documents identifying the victims," local media quoted Hendra as saying.

Meanwhile, Surawan also confirmed that the babies were intended to be transported to Singapore.

"Through the suspects, we managed to rescue five babies in Pontianak that were supposed to be sent to Singapore and already had the necessary documents. We also rescued another baby in Tangerang (a city in Banten province of Indonesia) a few days ago," Surawan said.

According to Surawan, the six infants rescued were sent to Bhayangkara Sartika Asih Hospital in Bandung (Capital of West Jawa) for medical treatment.

"The plan is for all victims to be placed in the shelter of the West Java Social Service," said Surawan, as quoted by Kompas.

He said the baby trafficking syndicate came to light after a parent made a report that his child had been kidnapped by an unknown person.

"Most of the cases originate from West Java. The case started from a report made by a parent whose child was kidnapped and we developed the case based on the suspects in West Java," Surawan was quoted as saying by CNN Indonesia.

Based on interrogations of the suspects, the police found that each baby successfully transported to Singapore was sold for about tens of millions of (Indonesian) rupiah.

"The babies were bought from the biological mothers for about 11 million to 16 million rupiah," Surawan said in another interview on Tuesday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

He said the suspects had obtained some of the babies from parents who voluntarily gave them up while others were allegedly kidnapped.

This is not the first time a baby smuggling ring to Singapore from Indonesia has been busted. In 2016, Indonesian authorities arrested three suspects in Batam for allegedly planning to sell a three-month-old baby boy to Singapore for about USD 8,000, according to the media reports.

According to the Singapore Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), couples seeking to adopt must be both permanent residents (PRs), or at least one of the partners should be a Singapore citizen.

Those who would like to adopt a child as a sole applicant must either be a citizen or a PR.

When it comes to adopting a foreign child in Singapore, an applicant will need a dependent's pass to bring the child into Singapore, according to the website of Singapore Family Lawyers, a law firm based in Singapore.

The dependant's pass allows the child to remain in Singapore until the completion of the adoption process. To get the pass, the applicant must submit the child's identity documents and notarised consent from the child's birth parents or legal guardian.

The notarised consent means that the birth parents or legal guardian, upon the issuance of the adoption order, has given up all their duties, rights and obligations to the child, as reported by the Channel News Asia.

In some cases, the adoptive parents may also be required to go to the child's home country and comply with that country's requirements before the MSF will issue the dependent's pass. Once the pass is granted, the applicant can proceed to file for adoption through the Family Court.

A Home Study Report is also necessary for anyone wanting to adopt a foreign child, or a child in MSF's care. This report will verify whether the applicant is a suitable parent to adopt and raise a child. Each report is valid for one adoption and lasts two years, according to the Singapore Channel. PTI GS DIV DIV