Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Jakarta Metro Jaya Regional Police and West Jakarta Metropolitan Sub-regional Police have uncovered a cross-provincial child trafficking network by naming ten individuals as suspects. 

This major operation was triggered by a missing person report filed in West Jakarta regarding a child identified as RZA. Following an intensive investigation, authorities tracked the child’s location to a remote region in Jambi, Sumatra.

Senior Superintendent Iman Imanuddin, the Metro Jaya Police Director of General Crimes confirmed on Friday (6/2/2026) that the suspects include seven women and three men. Among those detained is the victim’s own mother, identified as IJ, who allegedly initiated the crime by kidnapping the child from relatives under the guise of an afternoon playdate. 

When the child failed to return after several weeks, the family alerted the police, leading to the discovery of a sophisticated criminal chain.

The investigation revealed that the child was sold multiple times with the price increasing at every stage of the transaction. Initially, the mother and an accomplice sold the child to a buyer for Rp 17.5 million. That buyer then resold the child for Rp 35 million to another handler, who eventually sold the victim for Rp 85 million to an intermediary named LN in Jambi. This intermediary was specifically targeting buyers within the Suku Anak Dalam tribe.

During the rescue mission in Sumatra, police not only found RZA but also discovered three other unidentified children who were victims of the same syndicate. All four children have been secured for medical and psychological evaluations while the investigation continues. 

The ten suspects now face severe legal consequences under the Child Protection Law and the Law on Eradication of Human Trafficking, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and substantial fines.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)