Infant stolen, sold for $588

TANJUNG PINANG, Riau: Tanjung Pinang police officers have arrested three women for their roles in the sale of a 3-day-old infant.

Tanjung Pinang Police chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Herry Heriawan said on Tuesday that the three women were Nurhayati, Nafsiah and Dartini.

Herry said that the crime began when Ani, the mother of the infant, was staying temporarily at the home of Nurhayati. She stayed there in order to give birth to the baby. Ani finally gave birth on Friday, but Nurhayati, apparently without the consent of Ani, sold the baby with the help of Nafsiah, her friend.

Nafsiah found a buyer named Dartini, who agreed to pay the price of Rp 5 million (US$588).

Meanwhile, Ani, 29, who claimed that the baby was sold without her consent, began to question the whereabouts of the baby on Friday. She suspected that the baby was stolen by Nurhayati.

She then asked the midwife who helped with the birth to assist her in reporting it to the police. After getting the report, the police investigated and moved to arrest the three women. In her testimony to the police, Ani admitted that the baby was born out of wedlock and that it was likely conceived as part of her job as a commercial sex worker at the Batu brothel complex in Tanjung Pinang. -- JP