Baby found abandoned in Pasar Minggu nasi uduk cart: older brother's plea for care

An infant girl, two days old, was found abandoned in a nasi uduk cart on Jalan Pejaten Raya, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, leaving many questions. The baby was discovered with a letter purportedly written by a 12-year-old who claimed to be her brother. The letter requested that the finder be prepared to look after the child, writing: ‘Assalamualaikum, to the person who found my younger sister, I, Zidan, would like to ask you to care for my sister, because my mother died during childbirth. Please treat her as your own child, as I will not be able to find or visit her again; I do not want her future to be like mine, thank you.’ She was found the following day, Tuesday (3 March 2026), inside the nasi uduk cart. At the same location, residents also found several baby items, such as boxed red 0–6 month baby milk, wet wipes, and blue baby gloves. A resident named Ati (53) said she saw a man passing through a narrow alley on Jalan Pejaten Raya about an hour before the baby was found. She was indoors with the door open at the time. Her reduced vision prevented her from clearly seeing the man’s face. ‘There was a man walking like a fatherly figure, carrying a black bag. Around 16:30 WIB,’ Ati told reporters at her home on Thursday. She initially thought the man was a courier delivering a parcel to a neighbour. She did not suspect anything when she saw the man in a light brown jacket pass by toward the end of the alley. A few minutes later, the man reappeared at Ati’s house.