T

he East Java Police are conducting an investigation into an alleged online prostitution ring that implicates dozens of celebrities and models for adult magazines.

Following the arrests of two alleged female sex workers on two separate occasions in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday, two people were named suspects in the case for allegedly running an online sex service.

The police identified 45 celebrities and 100 models for adult magazines as those who were allegedly involved in the prostitution ring, East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Luki Hermawan said.

“We have the list of their names as well as their rates,” he said on Monday, adding that the police would continue the investigation by summoning everyone tied to it.

“We have obtained the photographs, names and the [evidence] of transactions. There are several [people] on our most-wanted list,” Luki said.

The case came to light over the weekend after the police arrested a celebrity identified as VA in a hotel room in Surabaya, where she was with an alleged client who worked as a mining businessman.

In a separate arrest, the police nabbed a model identified as AS on Saturday afternoon after she left Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. The two were later taken to the East Java Police headquarters.

The suspected pimps who ran the business, ES and TN, allegedly scheduled trips for the women to Surabaya so that they could meet their clients.

ES and TN, residents of South Jakarta, were charged with articles 27 and 45 of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law and Article 296 of the Criminal Code on prostitution operations.

The suspects reportedly charged the clients of VA Rp 80 million (US$5,680) and those of AS Rp 25 million. VA received Rp 35 million while the remaining amount was divided among the alleged operators, Luki said.

The head of the East Java Police cybercrime division, Adj. Sr. Comr. Harissandi, said the celebrities and models who were allegedly involved in the business also received orders from Hong Kong and Singapore.

“They are booked for three days and the rates can reach up to Rp 300 million,” he said.

Luki said the clients from abroad used a digital payment system to wire the money. He added that the police were currently searching for the whereabouts of two others suspected of having operated the ring together with ES and TN since 2017.

“The role of the two people is apparent and they have broad networks, including links to the groups of users. Just wait, some people will be summoned,” Luki said.

The East Java Police released VA and AS following questioning on Sunday and they were labeled witnesses for being victims in the case, tribunnews.com reported. The businessman was reportedly not pressed with charges.

“There is no law that punishes clients,” Harissandi said as quoted by tempo.co.

VA issued an apology on Sunday after the questioning, saying, “I realized my mistakes and my misconducts have affected many”.

A sociologist from Airlangga University of Surabaya, Bagong Suyanto, said the authorities would not be able to put a stop to prostitution if it did not address the high demand for it.

“The men who book for [sex services] must also be legally processed or at minimum be given social sanctions, such as by having their pictures hang in big print publicly,” Suyanto said.

Online prostitution involving celebrities existed because clients valued their prestige and high status, not just the services they offered, he said.

Coalition of Indonesian Women for Justice and Democracy (KPIKD) secretary-general Dian Kartika Sari said the police must focus on exposing the pimps and the people behind the prostitution rings, while the alleged sex workers must be protected and treated as victims of human trafficking.

“The police must not ride the wave of popularity just because the case involves popular people,” Dian said.