Indonesia's police have arrested 13 suspects after uncovering an alleged baby-trafficking syndicate in West Kalimantan, on Borneo island.
The ring, which had operated since 2023, sold 24 babies, including 15 to customers in Singapore, police in West Java province said.
They said six babies, aged between two and six months, were also rescued during the sting and were being cared for in a hospital in Bandung, the province's capital.
Five of the six infants rescued were about to be sold in Singapore through Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province, police said.
The exact number of babies allegedly taken by the syndicate remains unknown.
[GRAPHIC map]Forged documents to sell babies
Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan from West Java Police said the arrested suspects allegedly played "various roles" in the baby-trafficking syndicate.
"Some acted as initial recruiters, even while the babies were still in the womb, while others were responsible for caring for the babies, housing them, and producing fake identity documents such as birth certificates."
All but one of the arrested suspects were female.
According to police, the investigation began after a parent reported that their baby was kidnapped.
But it was later discovered the parents had agreed to sell the baby, but were not paid.
"One of the parents planned to sell the baby, but because they were not paid, the other parent reported it as a kidnapping," Commissioner Surawan told CNN Indonesia.
The majority of the babies were from Bandung but were transported to Pontianak, where police found fake identity documents.
"That's where the babies were added to other people's family cards, and then other documents were created, including passports," Commissioner Surawan added.
Financially driven
Police said the alleged offenders bought babies directly from mothers for amounts between 11 million and 16 million rupiah ($1,000 to $1,500).
Police also found that parents who wanted to give up their babies were offered compensation, which included the cost of childbirth.
Last year, an Indonesian man was charged after allegedly selling his child on Facebook for less than $1,500.
Police found the father to be financially motivated because he was involved in online gambling.
Most of the babies discovered in the recent sting were from West Java, the province with the second-highest poverty rate in Indonesia.
According to data from the National Socio-Economic Survey released early this year, an estimated 3.67 million people in West Java lived below the poverty line.
The deputy mayor of Bandung city urged hospitals to "strictly monitor" mothers who had just given birth.
"Security officers must be more vigilant. Procedures for naming babies, assigning identification tags, and monitoring people entering and leaving must also be reviewed," said Deputy Mayor Erwin, who goes by one name.
There was no official data on the number of babies and kids being sold in Indonesia, but the Child Protection Commission told the ABC that reports and complaints related to child exploitation and trafficking had increased.
The commission also said that a lack of economic subsidies for struggling families and information about legal adoption contributed to baby trafficking in Indonesia.
The commission urged the Indonesian government to provide more financial assistance for raising children and childbirth, which can be cost-prohibitive for some parents.
The Indonesian police said they would liaise with Interpol to track down the babies who were sold in Singapore.
