Viral Photo of Alleged Baby Abandonment Suspect in Bekasi Is Edited, Police Confirm
A photograph circulated on social media depicting the alleged perpetrator of a baby abandonment case in Bekasi has been identified by police as a digitally manipulated image rather than authentic evidence.
North Bekasi Police Chief AKP Tono Listianto explained that significant differences exist between the photograph that went viral on social media and the original CCTV footage in the investigation team’s possession. According to him, the widely distributed photograph was allegedly deliberately enhanced using specific applications to attract public attention.
“We will also clarify regarding the photographs that have already circulated on social media. We can confirm that this image is the result of editing,” stated Tono at North Bekasi Police Station on Monday, 9 March 2026.
“Because the authentic photograph of the suspect is like this. And from CCTV analysis, it is likely that those who distributed this used editing to enhance it, since the CCTV footage itself may not have been clear,” he added.
Tono mentioned that the editing may have been intended to assist the investigation. However, this approach ultimately resulted in inaccurate data.
“The editing was inappropriate; it resulted in the face being inaccurate, the data being inaccurate,” he stated.
Although the widely circulated photograph was inaccurate, police successfully apprehended the actual suspect, a 19-year-old woman with the initials N, on Friday, 8 March, at approximately 23:00 Western Indonesian Time. N was arrested at her residence in Marga Mulya Village, North Bekasi, after police conducted field investigations and analysed CCTV footage around the location where the infant was discovered.
During questioning, it emerged that N’s motive for abandoning her baby stemmed from fear of her parents’ reaction. She was concerned about being evicted from home if her out-of-wedlock pregnancy became known.
“The suspect’s motive was fear that her parents would find out and anger at her, as well as fear of being expelled from the house. Previously, the suspect had already been evicted by her parents for frequently coming home late,” explained the Police Chief.
Currently, N is being held at North Bekasi Police Station and is charged under Article 429 paragraph 1, alternatively Article 430, of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, with a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. Meanwhile, the abandoned female infant is in stable condition and receiving intensive care at Bekasi City General Hospital.
The incident began on Friday, 6 March, when N gave birth to her baby alone without medical assistance in her home’s bathroom. She subsequently placed the female infant in a rubbish bin at Tytyan Kencana Housing Complex, North Bekasi, hoping the child would be discovered by others.