South Sulawesi Police Arrest Woman Suspected of Human Trafficking in Makassar

Makassar (ANTARA) - The Directorate of Crimes Against Women and Children (PPA) and Human Trafficking (PPO) team from the South Sulawesi Provincial Police (Polda Sulsel) has arrested a woman suspected of committing a human trafficking offence (TPPO), identified as MT (38), who callously sold her children for money in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

“The suspect has been secured; the woman with initials MT,” said the Head of the PPO Sub-Directorate of the PPA PPO Directorate of Polda Sulsel, Commissioner Police Zaki Zungkar, when confirmed by journalists in Makassar on Thursday.

The arrest of the suspect came after following up on a police report filed by her husband, the complainant named Anto, to the Criminal Investigation Unit of Polda Sulsel in early March 2026. A thorough investigation was then conducted.

After in-depth investigation into the report, the PPO and PPA Directorate team of Polda Sulsel quickly moved to locate the suspect who is alleged to have sold four children, three of whom were her own and one her nephew.

“Our members, the Sub-Directorate PPA team of Polda Sulsel, immediately moved, took statements, and checked everything. She was secured (arrested) still in the Makassar area,” he emphasised.

Although the suspect has been arrested, he said, investigators are still conducting intensive probes to find the whereabouts of the children, including the suspect’s TPPO networks as the buyers.

“The children (victims) are not yet known, for her children. This is still being developed,” said Kompol Zaki briefly when confirmed by journalists.

Previously, the victim’s father, complainant Anto, had reported the incident with report number: LP/B/248/III/2026/SPKT/POLDA SULAWESI SELATAN on 3 March 2026 at the Polda Sulsel office.

He reported his wife MT for the alleged sale of four children, three young children and a baby belonging to him, along with one of his nephew who was also a baby, to the police. The complainant has five children, three biological and two stepchildren with MT. Two of his biological children and one still a baby are unaccounted for.

Suspicion arose when he realised that three of his children were no longer at home. There is strong suspicion that his wife and in-laws collaborated to traffic his children to others.

Before the incident, his wife MT had said goodbye to go to her parents’ house on the pretext of avoiding illness during the rainy season. But after a week, she did not return home.

Suspicion arose, the complainant went to his in-laws’ house, but unfortunately his wife, children, and in-laws were no longer there. Information he obtained from the local RT head indicated that the child previously in his wife’s womb was suspected to have been pre-ordered by someone to be bought and had been paid a down payment of Rp1.8 million.

“I already urged her to come home, but she refused. I came to my in-laws’ house, but my wife and my children were no longer there,” he told journalists.

From information obtained from the local RT head, the child previously in his wife’s womb was suspected to have been pre-ordered by someone to be bought and had been paid a down payment of Rp1.8 million.

“Apparently, the one who paid the down payment (someone) came (after the child was born), but there was an argument because the baby was not given. In my opinion, she has sold them; it’s been two months since I last saw my children,” he said.

The complainant suspects that the other two children suffered the same fate, including his sibling’s baby who was also taken by someone after birth, allegedly paid Rp8 million. Nevertheless, this information has not yet been confirmed; the results of the investigation from the authorities will be announced later.