Tangerang police release 33 people allegedly held captive in a house

The Tangerang police have released 33 people allegedly held captive in a rented house in Sepatan, Tangerang Regency. 

The police criminal unit head Adj. Sr. Comr. Deddy Supriyadi said the people were released following a report from one of the victims’ family members.

“We followed up on a resident’s report that one of their family members had been held captive since Jan. 8 in Cadas village, Sepatan,” Deddy said Friday, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

The police have visited three locations and found 33 people inside a rented house used as shelter. Of the 33 people, 10 are women and two are children. Their ages range between 17 and 20 years old. 

The people found in the house told the police that they were there for job training. They come from Ciamis, Cianjur and Banjar, all in West Java.

The family member who reported the situation to the police said they were asked for ransom money, while some victims said they were ordered to work. 

“We are trying to connect the dots. Some may have been detained for ransom, some may have been asked to work. We are still investigating this further including by questioning the family who made the report to the police,” Deddy said. (wnd)