An Indonesian trafficking syndicate smuggled at least 15 newborn babies into Singapore for illegal adoption, exploiting vulnerable families in West Java and charging wealthy adoptive parents more than S$20,000 per child, Indonesian police have revealed.
One such infant, referred to as Baby Arya, arrived at Changi Airport in mid-2025 on a flight from Jakarta, accompanied by a married couple posing as his parents.
Investigators said the baby was part of a broader trafficking operation that targeted desperate parents in Indonesia, offering them between 10 million and 20 million rupiah (up to S$1,500) to give up their newborns.
Senior Commissioner Ade Sapari, director of special crimes at the West Java police, said the syndicate selectively sent infants deemed "good-looking" to Singapore, while others were sold domestically. Speaking to The Straits Times on January 14, he said the traffickers recruited married couples to act as couriers, adding the babies to their family records using forged birth certificates.
These falsified documents were used to obtain passports, primarily through the Pontianak immigration office in West Kalimantan.
Contrary to earlier speculation that the babies were smuggled overland via Johor Baru, Ade clarified that the infants were flown directly from Jakarta to Singapore.
Babies from towns including Bandung, Sukabumi and Cianjur were first transported to Jakarta, then to Pontianak for documentation, before being flown back to Jakarta and onward to Singapore.
Child and women's rights activist Maria Advianti said traffickers commonly travel as a fake family unit to avoid detection. Some operate within tour groups, separating from the group after official programmes end under the pretext of private travel plans. She added that Singapore may also have been used as a transit point for trafficked infants.
Indonesian authorities began investigating the syndicate after detaining about a dozen suspects in West Java in July 2025.
Police believe the ring arranged the sale of 25 infants, 15 of whom were sent to Singapore. The babies were aged between five and 14 months. Investigators said the syndicate often made down payments to expectant mothers and covered prenatal and delivery expenses, targeting women who already had multiple children.
Police have compiled investigation files on 13 suspects, which are expected to be submitted to the West Java Prosecutors' Office by the end of January.
A district court in West Java is set to begin hearing the case by March 2026. Evidence collected includes notarised adoption documents translated into English, as well as records detailing childbirth and agency fees charged to Singapore-based adoption intermediaries.
Under Indonesian law, adoption must be free of charge and is subject to strict conditions. Overseas adoption by foreign-based couples is prohibited, while human trafficking carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to 600 million rupiah.
On January 9, the Singapore and Indonesian governments said they are working together to review allegations of baby trafficking into Singapore. Singapore authorities have also contacted affected adoptive parents to explain the situation.
In Parliament on January 14, Minister of State for Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said adoption agencies in Singapore are required to conduct thorough due diligence, adding that those found to have knowingly brought in children of suspicious origin would face enforcement action.
Advianti urged stronger monitoring and political will to curb trafficking, suggesting closer scrutiny of travel records, such as cases where a "family" leaves Indonesia together but returns with fewer members.
