Police thwart int'l trafficking ring that 'reserved' babies in the womb

The babies were then purchased for 11-16 million Indonesian rupiah (approximately NIS 2,260 to NIS 3,300).

Police in Indonesia uncovered a massive baby trafficking ring and rescued six infants about to be sold, according to BBC News Indonesia. All the babies were around a year old.

The ring has sold at least 25 babies, 12 male and 13 female, to buyers in Singapore since 2023 and authorities have now arrested 13 individuals connected to the trafficking ring in Pontianak and Tangerang.

"The babies were first housed in Pontianak and had their immigration documents arranged before being sent to Singapore," West Java Police's director of general criminal investigation, Surawan, told BBC News Indonesia.

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The ring looked for expectant mothers who did not want to raise their child, using social media sites like Facebook and WhatsApp to make contact. The babies were then purchased for 11-16 million Indonesian rupiah (approximately NIS 2,260 to NIS 3,300).

Mothers sold unborn babies as part of trafficking ring

"Some babies were even reserved while still in the womb," Surawan said. "Once born, the delivery costs were covered, then compensation money was given, and the baby was taken."

Baby (Illustrative) (credit: Luma Pimentel/Unsplash)He told the BBC that none of the babies had been kidnapped, though some had been reported as such after the sellers failed to pay the birth mothers.

After being sold by their mothers, the babies were sent to caretakers for a few months and then transported to Jakarta and Pontianak, where false documents would be prepared for them.

"We will cross-check the data with the babies who departed, so we know exactly who departed, who accompanied them, when they departed, and who the adopters are," Surawan told reporters.

Police are now searching for the missing babies in Singapore.

Abortion is criminalized in Indonesia with few exceptions for emergency health situations and in cases of rape, though many suffer from extreme poverty. 9% of the country’s population lived below the poverty line in 2024, according to the Asian Development Bank.

Trafficking of human eggs

The announcement comes months after authorities in Thailand announced they would launch an investigation after Thai women were allegedly held prisoner in Georgia and their ova harvested.