The Klaten Police arrested five people last Friday for allegedly running an online abortion clinic in Ceper, Klaten, Central Java.

The suspects were identified as Agung Nugroho and his wife, Anisa Puspitasari, as well as Ariyanti, a local midwife. Agung and Anis allegedly offered abortion services on a LINE messaging app under the handle Nindira. The police also arrested Dian Arisa and Yoga Janu, a couple who allegedly used the clinic’s service.

According to Klaten Police chief Sr. Comr. Aries Andhi, his team stumbled on the abortion clinic after Anisa reported to police that her mobile phone was missing. After conducting an investigation, the police discovered that it was allegedly stolen by Dian.

“After we found out who stole the phone, we checked the data and discovered a conversation relating to the services offered by the abortion clinic,” Aries said on Friday.

Agung and Anisa confessed to the police that they had been operating the online abortion clinic for the last three years. Throughout its years of operation, the couple had allegedly seen 200 patients, most of whom were three months pregnant or less.

“We only gave abortion drugs like cytotec to patients when they were still in their first trimester,” Agung told the police.

He also explained that not every abortion needed medical assistance. “I asked for Ariyanti’s help if their gestation period was more than three months.”

The drugs were allegedly sold for Rp 3 million (US$209.48) per tablet. If patients wanted to use a midwife service to abort their fetuses, Agung allegedly charged them Rp 10 million. Patients who needed medical assistance allegedly received treatment in the midwife’s house in Kujon village, Ceper, Klaten.

For a fetus that was less than two months old, Agung claimed he injected patients with triclofem, a drug which is used to treat abnormal uterine bleeding, aside from giving them cytotec. After six hours, the fetus would be aborted.

Ariyanti claimed that she was only involved in three operations. “They paid me Rp 3 million for each operation. I regret my action,” she told the police.

Meanwhile, the head of the Klaten police crime department, Comr. Didik Sulaiman, revealed that the online abortion clinic had not only used by people from Java, but also by people in Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

“We will search the Nindira office in Yogyakarta, including Ariyanti’s clinic in Klaten,” Didik said. (dpk)

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