Police foil infant smuggling attempt

PEKANBARU, Riau: Police in Tanjungpinang regency, Riau province, said on Friday they had foiled an attempt to smuggle an infant to Singapore.

The move followed the earlier arrest in Batam in the same province of four suspects charged with infant trafficking.

Tanjungpinang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Widodo Prihastopo said his officers had arrested a married couple, Desi, 29, and Soe I Jiang, 44, as suspects at midnight on Wednesday as they were negotiating with the mother of a baby girl.

The one-month-old infant, Elen, was to have been bought from her mother, reportedly a commercial sex worker identified only as Ida, and had been ordered by a Singapore citizen, Widodo added.

He said the police were searching for Ida.

"At first, the husband and wife claimed they wanted to adopt Elen. But we were suspicious as they made records of all the costs involved in looking after the infant, which is unusual," Widodo said.

He said that further investigations revealed that Elen's mother had wished to sell her infant since she was four months pregnant.

According to Widodo, Ida had been staying with the couple, who promised to pay all the costs of looking after the baby until she was taken to Singapore.

Based on the prevailing child protection legislation, anyone found guilty of infant trafficking is subject to a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a fine of Rp 300 million. --JP