The Surabaya Police have arrested a man, identified only as MN, for allegedly buying an infant via Instagram.
MN was arrested at his house on Jl. Karah in Jambangan district in Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday. He was found to have paid some Rp 3.8 million (US$250) for a baby boy when he was only three days old.
Surabaya police chief Sr. Comr. Rudi Setiawan said recently that the transaction was conducted in Semarang, Central Java, on Sept. 23. The baby’s parents live in Tangerang in Banten.
“The baby is now safe with the Surabaya administration,” Rudi said on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.
The child trafficking arrangement was facilitated by an admin of Instagram account @konsultasiprivat, Alton Phinandita Prianto. Alton, who has been named a suspect, connected potential sellers and buyers through the account.
According to Anton's testimony, three infants had been sold illegally via his service.
So far, five people have been arrested in connection with the child trafficking network. All of them will be charged under Article 83 of Law No. 35/2014 on child protection, with carries a maximum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment. (vny)
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