A Bandung District Court sentenced 19 members of an Indonesian baby trafficking ring to prison on July 21, 2026, including 70-year-old mastermind Lie Siu Luan, who received seven years for human trafficking. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Lie was found guilty of orchestrating the syndicate's recruitment of babies, forging adoption documents, and sending at least 12 infants overseas to Singapore. [1, 2, 3, 4, 6] The ring trafficked at least 34 babies from 2023 to 2025, selling each for 200 to 250 million rupiah (about S$18,110). [1, 2, 3, 4]
Eighteen women were among the defendants, all convicted. Chief recruiter Astri Fitrinika was sentenced to six years and seven months, as were fellow recruiters Djaka Hamdani and Elin Marlina. [1, 2, 3, 4, 6] Lai Su Hua, who falsified state adoption documents, also received six years and seven months. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The remaining 14 defendants acted as caregivers for the babies and were given three years and four months imprisonment each. [1, 2, 3, 4]
During the trial, Lie and Astri admitted most charges but argued the babies were voluntarily given up and well cared for. [1, 2, 3, 4] Judge Gatot Ardian Agustiono said, "We declare that the defendant Lie Siu Luan 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." [1]
The court’s seven-year sentence was lower than the 10 years prosecutors sought. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] Lie decided not to appeal. [6]
Authorities arrested the ring in 2025 after a parent reported a baby kidnapping in West Java. [6] Investigators found the syndicate trafficked over two dozen infants, some only three months old. Eight babies rescued were placed in a local orphanage. [6] Some trafficked infants rejected by buyers in Singapore were sold within Indonesia. [6]
The trial began in April 2026, culminating in the sentencing in July. [1, 2, 3, 4] The defendants will serve their prison terms in Indonesia following the court’s ruling.
