Indonesia charges 19 in baby trafficking ring

BANDUNG, West Java – Indonesian prosecutors on April 7 charged 19 people accused of sending infants to cities across the country and overseas, including to Singapore, in what the authorities described as one of Indonesia’s largest trafficking cases in recent years.

Earlier, the defendants – 18 of them women – filed into Indonesia’s Bandung District Court in a single line, dressed in white shirts and orange detainee vests. Several of them lowered their heads or shielded their faces from cameras outside.

At the centre of the case is Lie Siu Luan, 70, known as Lily, who police investigators described as the ringleader. She was arrested in July 2025 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport upon returning from Singapore, according to reports.

The case is spread across nine indictments involving the 19 defendants. An indictment seen by The Straits Times shows prosecutors have brought three charges against Lie.

Under Indonesia’s legal system, prosecutors may file more than one charge so that judges can consider other offences if the main charge is not proven.

The primary charge is human trafficking, read together with offences relating to acting with others and committing the crime repeatedly.

An indictment says this covers the alleged recruitment, transport and harbouring or transfer of individuals through means such as fraud, coercion, threats or abuse of vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation.

If convicted under this charge, Lie could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to five billion rupiah (S$375,000).

Two other charges have been filed and may be considered if the main charge is not upheld, including sending Indonesian citizens abroad for exploitation. This charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to 600 million rupiah.

Dr Sendi Sanjaya, a lawyer representing Lie, said prosecutors had brought the charges based on allegations of baby abduction, but he rejected the claims as inaccurate, arguing that the cases involved the consent of the babies’ parents.

“We do not want anyone to be punished for something she did not do,” Dr Sanjaya told ST after the hearing on April 7.

He said Lie had acted in good faith, intending to place the babies with higher-income families. He added that the defence would present evidence to support this during the trial, which he expects to last between three and six months.

In the coming hearings, presiding judge Gatot Ardian Agustiono and a panel of three judges will hear testimony from witnesses and arguments from both prosecutors and defence lawyers.

The hearing proceeded in an orderly manner. After prosecutors finished reading the indictments, a defendant raised her hand and attempted to challenge the charges, though her remarks were not audible as she was not using a microphone.

Judge Gatot reminded the defendants that they would have the opportunity to respond to the indictments later in the trial.

After the hearing was adjourned, the defendants – represented by different lawyers – were seen speaking softly with their respective lawyers.

Mr Aditia Restianda, a lawyer representing four of the defendants, told ST before the hearing began: “We will do our best to ensure our clients receive proper legal protection as defendants.”

He declined to discuss the details of the case before proceedings started.

“All Indonesian citizens have equal rights before the law, including the right to receive legal assistance,” he added.

Another indictment, filed against the syndicate’s alleged main recruiter Astri Fitrinika, states that some 34 babies were trafficked, with recruiters sourcing infants from vulnerable families. Payments to birth parents ranged from nine million rupiah to 11 million rupiah for boys and 10 million rupiah to 15 million rupiah for girls.

Lie is described in the indictment as an adoption agent in Indonesia who carried out the sale of babies originating from Bandung.

She is said to have received babies from recruiters and arranged the preparation of documents required for adoption, including birth certificates, identity cards, family registers and passports. The indictments also stated that “fake parents” were used to insert the babies’ identities into family records.

According to prosecutors, she was approached by a Singapore national identified as Mr Petter, who remains at large, and who offered $18,000 for each baby.

The indictments state that babies were then sent to Singapore, with documents prepared and couriers arranged to accompany them.

Prosecutor Sukanda, who goes by one name, told reporters each baby sold in Singapore fetched 200 million rupiah to 250 million rupiah, but did not provide the equivalent amount in Singapore dollars.

Investigators previously said 15 babies were destined for Singapore and that the syndicate’s operations often began before their birth, with recruiters allegedly approaching pregnant women facing financial hardship and offering to cover medical expenses in exchange for their babies. In some cases, infants were effectively “reserved” while still in the womb.

The operations relied on falsified administrative records. Babies were allegedly added to households’ Kartu Keluarga, or family cards, using fake birth certificates. These documents were then used to obtain passports from the Pontianak immigration office in West Kalimantan.

The cards, issued by Indonesia’s Civil Registry Office, record key information about all members of a household and are required for passports, school enrolment, marriage registration and healthcare.

Infants from Bandung, Sukabumi and Cianjur in West Java were transported to Jakarta, then to Pontianak for documentation, before being returned to Jakarta and flown overseas, including to Singapore, police said.

Earlier speculation suggested the babies were moved through land crossings via Johor Bahru, Malaysia, though police later said they were flown directly from Jakarta to Changi Airport.

Senior Commissioner Ade Sapari, West Java police’s director of special crimes, told ST on Jan 14 that the ring selected babies based on appearance, with those considered “good-looking” sent overseas, including to Singapore, while others were sold within Indonesia.

Three Singapore adoption agents, identified by their initials – Mr T.N., Mr P.T. and Mrs E.G. – were allegedly involved, West Java police spokesman Hendra Rochmawan told ST on Jan 22.

The case surfaced in July 2025 when Indonesian authorities detained about a dozen suspects in West Java. On Jan 9, Indonesia and Singapore said they were working together to review the allegations, with Singapore authorities contacting affected adoptive parents.

Indonesia’s adoption laws are strict. Prospective parents must be married, aged between 30 and 55, financially stable and approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Overseas adoption is largely prohibited, though foreigners who have lived in Indonesia for at least two years may adopt, subject to stringent requirements.

Analysts said economic pressures on mothers, gaps in civil registration systems and strict adoption rules have created conditions for illicit markets to thrive. Incomplete birth registration has been cited as a factor that can make it easier for traffickers to manipulate identities.

Judge Gatot said the hearing would resume on April 14, when the court will begin hearing witnesses called by the prosecution to support its case.

“Whether what the prosecutors have said in the indictments is true will depend on the evidence presented,” he told the court. “We will begin by hearing witnesses called by the prosecution next week.”