Inside the horrific baby trafficking ring where 34 infants were sold – and the heartbreaking question of what happens to them now

Eight of the children remain in state care

The group, consisting of one man and 18 women, was convicted of trafficking 34 babies between 2022 and 2025. 

Investigators said the operation was highly organised, with different members tasked with finding infants, looking after them, producing fake documents and arranging buyers.

According to authorities, the babies were collected from several locations across West Java before being transferred to Depok and later Pontianak. 

Some of the children were then transported through Jakarta and flown to Singapore, with police believing at least 20 babies were intended for buyers there, with 12 already having entered the country.

While a number of the defendants insisted they believed they were helping families rather than committing a crime, the court rejected those claims and convicted all 19.

Lie Siu Luan, identified as the leader of the trafficking ring, admitted supplying babies to at least four buyers in Singapore. 

She told investigators each child was expected to sell for at least £10,300, and was sentenced to seven years in prison, despite prosecutors seeking a 10-year term.

Six women who cared for the trafficked babies and two women who acted as brokers were each jailed for three years and four months. 

The only male defendant, Djaka Hamdani Hutabarat, received a sentence of six years and seven months, alongside the group's main broker, Astri Fitrinika.

Indonesia's Ministry of Social Affairs said every rescued child will now be assessed to determine the most appropriate long-term care. 

Officials will first explore whether they can safely return to their biological families. 

If that is not possible, the children will be placed in alternative care under Indonesia's child protection laws.