Police bust baby trafficking ring that sold newborns to foreigners in Bali

Indonesian syndicate allegedly bought and sold babies on Facebook

Police in Indonesia busted a baby-trafficking ring that bought newborns on Facebook and sold them to foreigners in Bali.

Police said the “well-organised” syndicate operated in Depok city of West Java, about 27km from capital Jakarta.

The infants were bought from parents for less than £800 on Facebook and sold to foreigners in Bali at four times the price, police said, adding the traffickers also worked on “pre-orders”.

Eight people have been arrested so far and are facing charges of human trafficking and child protection violations, police said. They include two sets of parents, two people who acted as scouts and buyers, an intermediary and a broker who managed the transactions.

Depok police chief Arya Perdana said the children were advertised on Facebook with prices ranging from 10m to 15m rupiah (£493 to £740). The traffickers then transported the babies to the tourist hub of Bali where they were sold to foreigners for as much as 45m rupiah (£2,220).

The trafficking ring was uncovered after authorities acted on a public tip-off.

Mr Perdana said they were able to halt the sale of two infants, a girl and a boy, who were intended for sale in Bali. The syndicate had already completed five such orders in Bali, he added.

“They made arrangements with expectant parents before the babies were born, ensuring immediate transport to Bali right after birth,” the police chief told news outlet Kompas.

“So if a foreigner needed a baby, they would sell to them.” Police said that a woman sold her baby for 10m rupiah after her husband refused to raise the child.

Police suspect that the syndicate’s illegal activities extended far beyond Bali and have expanded their investigation into other areas.

“What we have discovered so far is limited to Bali, but organised international crime can occur anywhere, and the perpetrators could be from anywhere,” Mr Perdana said.

According to an UN estimate, around 56 per cent of the world’s human trafficking victims are in the Asia Pacific region, with Southeast Asia and South Asia the key hubs for supplying victims.

In Indonesia, a person convicted of human trafficking can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined 600m rupiah.

Violations of the child protection law carry the same maximum prison sentence, along with a fine of 300m rupiah.