The West Java Police took into custody 11 schoolgirls in the hillside resort town of Puncak, Bogor during a raid that they believe to be linked to a large prostitution syndicate targeting underage girls and coercing them into become sex workers.
The 11 girls, mostly teenagers, were caught during a transaction at a hotel in Puncak in the early hours of Wednesday.
“On average they are middle and high school students,” said Grand Commissioner Budi Satrio, head of public crimes at the West Java Police, as quoted by Tempo yesterday.
Budi noted that out of the 11 arrested, two of them, aged 19 and 20, acted as pimps for the others. The girls were said to receive Rp 2-3 million, about USD149-224, for their sexual services.
“They can be ordered as escorts, or even as sleeping partners,” Budi said.
The police say they are investigating the case further as they believe that the 11 girls are part of a larger underage prostitution syndicate. The police have also identified two more pimps for arrest, though their whereabouts are currently unknown.
Incidentally, the police uncovered the prostitution ring unintentionally while they were investigating into a documents fraud case in the area.
While many of the tourist destinations in Puncak are known as family-friendly, the area is also known in the capital as a hotbed of prostitution. Numerous prostitution rings have been busted in the hillside resort town, including those involving foreign women being specifically brought in to Indonesia for sex work.
Reader Interactions