An international child trafficking gang has been busted in Indonesia.
According to the British news agency, authorities made 13 arrests this week in the Indonesian cities of Pontianak and Tangerang, while six trafficked children, aged around one year, were rescued.
According to the news agency, the group allegedly bought and sold at least 25 infants in Singapore since 2023.
The West Java Police Criminal Investigation Directorate General said that the children were first kept in Pontianak and their immigration documents were arranged before being sent to Singapore.
According to the BBC report, the group operates under a methodology under which it targets parents or expectant mothers who allegedly do not want to raise their children, these individuals contact these mothers via WhatsApp or other social media applications.
According to police, some children were sold while still in their mothers’ wombs, and after birth, in addition to the delivery costs, money was paid to the mothers of the children and the children were used for trafficking.
How did these people reach the parents or mothers of these children?
Police said that the people involved in the group used to find such children and families through caregivers and housekeepers, and after taking the children from their mothers, they would take care of the caretakers for 2 to 3 months, while their birth certificates, passports and documents were prepared.
According to police, the children were sold for between 11 million Indonesian rupiah ($673 or £502) and 16 million Indonesian rupiah.
