Midwife nabbed for allegedly supplying babies

Evi Mariani, Jakarta

A hospital midwife in Grogol, West Jakarta, who allegedly supplied babies to a syndicate that sold them for adoption, was arrested by the police late on Friday.

"The midwife, identified as Ibu Sudarmo, was arrested by Jakarta Police detectives late on Friday and is being detained at (police) headquarters," police spokesman Sr. Comr. Prasetyo said on Sunday.

Police found Sudarmo after they gained information from a suspected syndicate member, Lily, who was earlier taken into custody.

Lily told police she bought the baby for Rp 5 million (US$532) from Sudarmo. Sudarmo told her she had helped a 25-year-old mother deliver a baby girl. After giving birth, the mother left the baby under Sudarmo's care.

Sudarmo said when Lily had asked her for the baby, she gave her away because she could not afford to keep her. The Rp 5 million covered all the expenses she had incurred, she said.

Police have yet to identify the parents of the baby.

On Friday, police announced they had detained three women, Tan, Aiwa and Lily, for allegedly selling babies to parents in Singapore.

The baby girl obtained from Sudarmo was later returned to Jakarta because the buyer, a Singaporean woman identified as Brenda, found out the baby had contracted HIV.

The baby is now being taken care of by the Pelita Ilmu Foundation.