Police arrested the perpetrator who was the mastermind behind the baby trafficking case from West Java.
The Main Actor in the Trafficking of 25 Babies from West Java Arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport
English
By Fabio Maria Lopes Costa
18 Jul 2025 15:45 WIB · English
“Lily was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. She is being taken to Bandung,” said the Director of General Criminal Investigation of West Java Police, Commissioner Surawan, on Friday afternoon.
Surawan explained that Lily played a role as a donor in the sale of babies. She is suspected to be the perpetrator who is said to be in Singapore. The police stated that they would cooperate with Interpol and local authorities to apprehend her.
Previously, 13 perpetrators had been arrested in connection with this case in the past three days, 12 of whom were women.
Their roles vary, from recruiting pregnant women, sheltering them, nurses, making fake documents, to selling babies.
This case came to light from a report by a parent who claimed that their child was kidnapped in early July. It turned out that the parent reported the incident because they had not received payment from the syndicate.
In addition to being a donor, Lily arranged the transfer of babies from West Java to Banten, Jakarta, and West Kalimantan. She also organized the process of finding buyers.
After the fake population documents were made in Pontianak (West Kalimantan), the babies were then sold, some of them as far as Singapore.
A total of 15 babies have been sold to Singapore and have become citizens there. Six babies were successfully rescued by the police in Pontianak and Tangerang. There are four other babies whose whereabouts are still being investigated.
“We are still pursuing two perpetrators who are still at large. Their initials are W and YY. They are the recruiters and the baby shelters,” said Surawan.
The Head of Public Relations of the West Java Police, Kombes Hendra Rochmawan, emphasized that all suspects who were arrested have been designated as such. They are charged under Article 2 Paragraph 1 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Crime of Human Trafficking.
“The perpetrators in this case face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a maximum fine of Rp 600 million,” he asserted.
In the publication Kompas.id (September 3, 2024), the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Socialization and Education of the National Commission for Child Protection, Lia Latifah, said that the practice of buying and selling babies is now being carried out openly on social media.
The babies were then sold to prospective adoptive parents living in the Banten, Jakarta and Lampung areas.
Lia revealed that most babies are sold because their biological parents are unable to afford their needs. There are also babies born from out-of-wedlock relationships.
“Throughout 2024, we have assisted in eight cases of child trafficking in Jakarta and Bekasi. Most of the perpetrators are young couples under the age of 30 who are emotionally immature,” he stated.
“Lily was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. She is being taken to Bandung,” said the Director of General Criminal Investigation of West Java Police, Commissioner Surawan, on Friday afternoon.
Surawan explained that Lily played a role as a donor in the sale of babies. She is suspected to be the perpetrator who is said to be in Singapore. The police stated that they would cooperate with Interpol and local authorities to apprehend her.
Previously, 13 perpetrators had been arrested in connection with this case in the past three days, 12 of whom were women.
Their roles vary, from recruiting pregnant women, sheltering them, nurses, making fake documents, to selling babies.
This case came to light from a report by a parent who claimed that their child was kidnapped in early July. It turned out that the parent reported the incident because they had not received payment from the syndicate.
In addition to being a donor, Lily arranged the transfer of babies from West Java to Banten, Jakarta, and West Kalimantan. She also organized the process of finding buyers.
After the fake population documents were made in Pontianak (West Kalimantan), the babies were then sold, some of them as far as Singapore.
A total of 15 babies have been sold to Singapore and have become citizens there. Six babies were successfully rescued by the police in Pontianak and Tangerang. There are four other babies whose whereabouts are still being investigated.
“We are still pursuing two perpetrators who are still at large. Their initials are W and YY. They are the recruiters and the baby shelters,” said Surawan.
The Head of Public Relations of the West Java Police, Kombes Hendra Rochmawan, emphasized that all suspects who were arrested have been designated as such. They are charged under Article 2 Paragraph 1 of Law Number 21 of 2007 concerning the Crime of Human Trafficking.
“The perpetrators in this case face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a maximum fine of Rp 600 million,” he asserted.
In the publication Kompas.id (September 3, 2024), the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Socialization and Education of the National Commission for Child Protection, Lia Latifah, said that the practice of buying and selling babies is now being carried out openly on social media.
The babies were then sold to prospective adoptive parents living in the Banten, Jakarta and Lampung areas.
Lia revealed that most babies are sold because their biological parents are unable to afford their needs. There are also babies born from out-of-wedlock relationships.
“Throughout 2024, we have assisted in eight cases of child trafficking in Jakarta and Bekasi. Most of the perpetrators are young couples under the age of 30 who are emotionally immature,” he stated.
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