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akarta: Jakarta Police arrested on Friday a human-trafficking suspect, identified as D, and four underage girls who had been working as prostitutes on Jl. Taman Sari in West Jakarta.

The Jakarta Police'€™s general crimes directorate chief Sr. Comr. Khrisna Murti said the police had confiscated evidence, consisting of a uniform, two condoms, a work log-book, one Toyota minivan and Rp 5 million in cash.

D, who employed the girls as karaoke hostesses at several hotels in North and West Jakarta, was arrested after the police received some reports from local residents of illicit goings-on at the venues.

'€œThe girls have identity cards, meaning they are supposedly more than 17 years old, but they look younger. The employees force them to give sexual services to customers, with a charge of Rp 2.5 million per service,'€ Khrisna said.

Some of the girls had been recruited through an agent, the officer went on, while others had come at their own initiative.

The alleged sex workers, all from outside Jakarta, were taken in for questioning as witnesses. Police said they were hunting for D'€™s accomplices, meanwhile.

D and any accomplices will be charged with human-trafficking offenses as stipulated in Article 2 of Law No. 21/2007, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and a fine of Rp 600 million (US$46,000), and Article 296 of the Criminal Code on pimping.