Jakarta. The Directorate of General Criminal Investigation of the West Java Regional Police has arrested 12 suspects in an international baby trafficking case disguised as adoption. Police also successfully rescued five babies who were planned to be sent abroad.

Head of the Public Relations Division of the West Java Police, Hendra Rochmawan, stated that the case was uncovered following public reports about suspicious activities at a baby shelter in East Bandung.

At the house, police found babies who had been brought from a shelter in Pontianak and were intended to be trafficked to Singapore.

"This human trafficking case involves 12 suspects. Tonight, we also secured six victims, five of whom were transported from Pontianak," he said on Monday night.

The suspects played different roles within the network, ranging from initial recruiters, baby shelter operators, and forged document creators to international couriers.

"We also seized a number of pieces of evidence, including passport files and documents related to baby ownership," Hendra added.

Director of General Criminal Investigation Surawan said that the investigation is still ongoing, including the possibility that babies were trafficked to countries other than Singapore.

"Most of the babies come from the West Java region. Our initial information came from reports by parents regarding suspected child abductions. Based on preliminary findings, 24 babies have already been trafficked," Surawan explained.

The perpetrators disguised their activities as adoption processes when in fact the goal was to sell babies abroad. Each baby was priced at around Rp 11 million (approximately USD 700).

The suspects are now charged under child abduction and/or human trafficking laws, with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.