Quick summary: A major transnational baby trafficking trial in Indonesia has intensified following court confessions from the alleged mastermind detailing how an organized syndicate sold approximately a dozen infants to buyers in Singapore for up to S$21,600 per child. The criminal operation exploited impoverished expectant mothers by paying their hospital bills under the guise of legal adoption, subsequently utilizing forged documentation and social media networks to smuggle the newborns across international borders. This severe breach highlights critical deficiencies in cross border child protection and underscores an urgent need for public policy reforms and enhanced healthcare practice support to address the underlying poverty, healthcare costs, and social stigmas that leave vulnerable families susceptible to exploitation.
A major baby trafficking case involving Singapore has taken a new turn, with the alleged ringleader claiming that at least four people from the city-state were involved in purchasing around a dozen infants from Indonesia.
Lie Siu Luan, also known as Lily, 70, confessed during a trial session on 26th May at the Bandung City District Court to trafficking at least 12 babies to Singapore, receiving payments ranging between S$17,000 (US$13,205) and S$21,600 per child.
18 women and one man are on trial at the court, accused of selling at least 34 babies between 2022 and 2025. Prosecutors believe Lily is the mastermind behind the operation.
Lily told the court she was first contacted in late 2022 by a person named John, whom she described as a notary from Singapore, who said a couple there wanted to adopt a child from Indonesia. Despite knowing John from her time living in Singapore for about a year in the late 2010s, Lily claimed she did not know his real identity.
She found an Indonesian couple in Pontianak who were struggling to pay for their child’s delivery. Lily gave them 58 million rupiah (US$3,200) for hospital bills in exchange for the baby. John paid her S$17,000. After expenses including the hospital bill, notary fees, and other costs, she said she pocketed around S$2,000–S$3,000.
Court records show at least three more people contacted Lily: Petter, Mr Tan, and Mr Chew, whom she described as adoption agents from Singapore with clients seeking babies from Indonesia. She could not recall exact numbers for Petter and Mr Chew but said she sold more than one baby to John and two to Mr Tan. When arrested in July last year, she was handling a third transaction for Mr Tan.
Lead prosecutor Sukanda told CNA on 9th June that Lily claimed she did not know their full identities, complicating efforts to bring the foreigners to Indonesia to testify. Sukanda said the new details would be studied and investigated further. Earlier indictments presented on 7th April had mentioned only Petter and listed 10 babies, with the earliest case in 2023.
After initial contacts, Lily recruited others to act as recruiters, caretakers, and document forgers. The syndicate used social media and online adoption groups to find parents, mainly in the Bandung area of West Java, willing to give up newborns. Recruiters offered parents between 9 million rupiah and 15 million rupiah.
Sukanda said birth parents believed they were giving their children to the defendants for adoption and expected ongoing contact, unaware the babies would be sold to other couples or trafficked abroad.
The syndicate forged birth certificates listing defendants as fake parents or guardians, enabling passports and Singaporean adoption papers to be processed. Prices for Singapore-bound babies rose from S$17,000–S$19,000, then S$20,000, and finally S$21,600, with Lily pocketing S$2,000–S$3,000 per transaction after covering payments to her network and expenses such as food, accommodation, and flights.
The 19 defendants were arrested in mid-July last year in coordinated raids across Bandung, Jakarta, and Pontianak. Infants were held in safe houses during transit.
The case has drawn attention in both countries. Masagos Zulkifli said in February that agencies were working with Indonesian authorities, and that the ministry would review whether existing adoption processes should be enhanced once facts were clearer. In January, Goh Pei Ming stated Singapore was ensuring all inter-country adoptions met strict legal requirements in both countries.
The prosecution was due to present final arguments on Tuesday but the trial was postponed to 18th June, with no official reason given.
In Indonesia, many expectant mothers face challenges affording prenatal care, childbirth, and child-rearing. Poverty drives much of the trade, compounded by stigma around abortion and limited understanding of legal adoption, while social media has enabled syndicates to connect across regions and borders.
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