Indonesian Prosecutors Seek Prison Terms in Major Baby Trafficking Case
Indonesian prosecutors are seeking prison terms of up to 10 years for 19 defendants accused of running a cross-border baby trafficking ring that allegedly sold at least 34 infants, including several to Singapore, between 2023 and 2025. The trial in Bandung, West Java, centers on 70-year-old ringleader Lie Siu Luan, also known as Lily or Popo.
The Bandung District Court Proceedings
On June 30, Prosecutor Cucu Gantina asked judges at the Bandung District Court to declare that Lie “has been legally proven guilty of committing the criminal act of recruiting, harbouring, sending, transferring, or receiving a person … for the purpose of exploiting said person within the territory of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.” Prosecutors requested a 10-year prison sentence for Astri Fitrinika, who is alleged to be one of the syndicate’s main recruiters, and fellow alleged recruiters Djaka Hamdani and Elin. Lai Su Hua, who is accused of falsifying state documents related to adoption requirements, also faces a 10-year sentence demand. Five-year jail terms were sought for each of the other 14 defendants, who allegedly acted as caretakers for the babies.
The case surfaced in July 2025 when Indonesian authorities detained about a dozen suspects in West Java. The 19 defendants—18 women and one man—have been on trial since April. After the prosecutor read out the demands on June 30, both Lie and Astri started crying. Police investigators described Lie as the ringleader who coordinated the recruitment of babies, prepared documents, and arranged for infants to be sent overseas. She was arrested in July 2025 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport upon returning from Singapore.
Syndicate Operations and Recruitment
According to police, the syndicate began operating in 2023. The investigation began when a parent reported an alleged baby kidnapping to police in West Java; police later claimed the person who reported the kidnapping had actually entered into an agreement with the syndicate but never received payment. Investigators tracked down a suspect who allegedly confessed to having traded more than 24 infants. One of the women later told prosecutors she had procured 34 children for the group. Defendants allegedly played various roles, including finding the babies, caring for them, and preparing identity documents and passports.
The infants were sold for 200 to 250 million rupiah (S$18,110) per child. Prosecutors stated that at least 12 to 14 of the infants were sent to Singapore. Court records reveal Lie confessed to trafficking babies to Singapore, receiving up to S$21,600 (RM69,000) per child.
This follows our earlier report, Thaksin meets Indonesia president for talks, including on wealth management.
Connections to Singapore and Adoption Regulations
The case began some time in 2023
when Lie was in contact with a Singaporean named Petter, who requested that she find him babies for adoption. The Singaporean told Lie to find fake parents for the babies
and get them to sign “Form ACA-2” in front of an Indonesian notary. This form refers to a document for a birth parent or relevant party to give consent for the adoption of a child under Singapore’s Adoption of Children Act (ACA) of 2022.
On January 9, Indonesia and Singapore announced they were working together to review the allegations, with Singapore authorities contacting affected adoptive parents. The syndicate allegedly used adoption agents
in Singapore to find clients. The desperation of couples to start a family has made them vulnerable to private commercial agencies that operate in a grey area of legality. Some couples reported experiences involving a lack of paperwork, the absence of agents, and a total void of information, with one couple being instructed to Take now… bring this baby back now.
Read also: 3 Years of Torture in Silence: Bandung Victim’s Harrowing Story-How Her Lover Turned Abuser & Flees Justice.
Legal Status and Potential Penalties
Under Indonesian law, the defendants could face up to 15 years in prison if they are found guilty. The case is spread across nine indictments involving the 19 defendants. Prosecutors have brought three charges against Lie. At the Bandung District Court, the defendants filed into the courtroom in a single line, dressed in white shirts and orange detainee vests. Several of them lowered their heads or shielded their faces from cameras. The investigation remains ongoing regarding the full scope of the syndicate’s operations across Indonesia and Singapore.
Sources: Thestar, Channelnewsasia.