Police find one baby ready for sale

Evi Mariani, Jakarta

Jakarta Police found another baby ready to be sold to an agent for adoption at a maternity clinic (not hospital as mentioned earlier) on Monday afternoon belonging to a detained suspect in Grogol, West Jakarta.

"Based on information from one of the suspects, a midwife named S., we found another baby identified as A at her clinic. The baby was ready to be sold to Singapore," city police detectives chief Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang told reporters on Monday.

"We are still looking for the mother of the baby boy. Based on the medical record, the mother was identified as C. She might be named as another suspect in the case if we find evidence that she received money for her baby from S."

Salempang said the midwife, Ibu Sudarmo, received Rp 6 million (US$666) for the baby boy from another detained suspect Aiwa.

Aiwa ordered a woman to pose as the baby's mother to obtain an Indonesian passport from an immigration office in Jakarta.

"The woman, carrying the baby, tried to get a passport for the two of them. But officials at the immigration office were suspicious because the mother was wearing rubber sandals and her appearance did not fit her story about herself," Salempang said.

Since the two were unable to get a passport, the syndicate returned the baby to the clinic.

"So far, we have found that the syndicate has sold five babies," he added.

Four of the five babies had been sold for adoption in Singapore. Three of them had been sold, but one of them, a baby girl, was returned by the adoptive parents to Jakarta because a Singapore hospital said the baby has contracted HIV.

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

Another baby girl is yet to be sold and is still in Singapore in a house belonging to suspect Tan, who is being detained by the city police.

"We have contacted Interpol to get the unsold baby, as well as the other two babies who have been sold," Salempang said.

As for the baby boy, who looks chubby and healthy, he was sent from the clinic to the city police headquarters to be transferred later to Sayap Ibu Foundation in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

"The foundation is a partner of the Jakarta Social Agency. One of its tasks is arranging adoptions," Afrinaldi, an official of the agency, said.

He said a baby could be adopted by eligible parents when the child was at least six months old.

"The six-month period is required to give the adoptive parents and the baby time to get to know each other," he said. "Foreign citizens can adopt an Indonesian baby if they have lived in Indonesia for at least two years continuously."