Teenager arrested for acting as a pimp

JAKARTA (JP): A 19-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly facilitating transactions between prostitutes and customers, a police officer says.

An officer at the South Jakarta police precinct told The Jakarta Post yesterday the young woman, identified only as Iwe, was picked up, along with 28 other teenagers, for loitering at the Kalibata Mall in South Jakarta on Saturday night.

Iwe admitted to acting as mediator between female teenagers and customers.

Iwe, who just graduated from a senior high school, said she had been arrested for loitering late at night many times.

"She and some of her 'working girls' are now in the women's detention center in Pondok Bambu," the officer, who asked not to be identified, said.

According to the officer, the Pancoran police subprecinct in cooperation with the South Jakarta public order office, had summoned the teenagers' parents. "But only some of the parents responded to the summons," he said.

The teenagers whose parents failed to appear have been detained at Pondok Bambu detention center, the officer said.

The officers raided the Kalibata Mall Saturday night and picked up the teenagers, all under 18, and took them to the local police subprecinct.

Mall employees and local residents said that the youngsters usually start flocking at the mall at 7 p.m. "They gather in the parking lot and cafeteria. Some of them are willing to go with men for dates. The men are usually well-informed about the girls' charges," a mall employee said.

Some of the youngsters said they are usually paid between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 by each customer.

Shoppers say that the mall has long been a transaction spot.

According to Pos Kota daily, the woman who was recently killed in a hotel on Jl. Raden Saleh, Central Jakarta, was picked up from the mall. (sur/jun)