Bekasi moneylender allegedly holds 9-month-old baby hostage over parents' debt, reportedly planned to sell him

Bekasi, Kompas.com — A debt-collecting operative identified as W (40) is suspected of holding a nine-month-old baby, identified as A, hostage in Cakung, East Jakarta, between February and March 2026. W is also alleged to have posted a photo of the baby on his WhatsApp status with a message indicating the child could be bought. FS (35), the baby’s parent, suspects the motive relates to an outstanding debt to W’s boss believed to be Rp 1.3 million, which remains unpaid.

“My child is being held hostage, used as collateral. My child has nothing to do with the debt. He even posted on WhatsApp, ‘Who wants a boy?’” FS told Kompas.com on Friday (6 March 2026).

Earlier, Bude Jawa had told FS that the baby had been taken home to the family’s village. However, FS later learned that the child was actually at the caregiver’s home.

“Turned out my child wasn’t taken home to the village. This Bude Jawa says she’s being pressured by W. My child can’t be returned,” said FS.

After several efforts, FS managed to bring her child back to their rented home in the Bintara area, Bekasi Barat, Bekasi City, on Monday (2 March 2026).

FS said that while she and her husband were walking home from Bintara to Wali Kota, W shouted at them as thieves and ran around fleeing.

“While we were walking home, he shouted insults at us as ‘animals’ and then assaulted me. He slammed my head into a wall,” FS said.

The case has been reported to the Bekasi Kota Police Precinct and is recorded under police report number LP/B/785/III/2026/SPKT/POLRES METRO BEKASI KOTA/POLDA METRO JAYA, Sunday (2 March 2026).

Kompas.com has attempted to confirm developments in the case with the Public Relations Office of the Bekasi Kota Police. However, as of yet, no further information has been released by the authorities.

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