Baby grows up in prison

PEKANBARU, Riau: Eleven-month-old Suci Rahmadani has spent every day of her life in prison for a crime she has never committed.

Her mother, Arnis, was three months pregnant when she started her 30-month jail sentence. She won't be able to walk out free until the end of June.

The healthy baby is now the toast of Pekanbaru prison. Warders and prisoners alike would do anything to have the opportunity of entertaining her.

"This is the baby everyone loves here," said prison warder Nghi Sembiring with the baby perching on his shoulder.

Anis, who used to run a kiosk until she was arrested on drug charges, told Antara Thursday that she was accused of selling six envelopes of marijuana.

She claimed she received the six envelopes from a soldier, an old friend of hers, and had not known what was in them until police raided her kiosk and seized them.

"My husband and I know the soldier very well. We were not suspicious when he dropped the envelopes at our kiosk," she said. (pan)