REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Police's Task Force for Human Trafficking has arrested a suspect in connection with human trafficking. The suspect is alleged to have illegally sent Indonesian workers to China.
"The Task Force for Human Trafficking has arrested the suspect who sent migrant workers to China without going through a registered workers' agency, as well as the legal procedure, and used visiting visas instead," Senior Commissioner Ferdi Sambo, an officer of the Indonesian Police' criminal investigative unit said here, Friday.
The suspect was identified as Sulikah alias Sulis alias Melis.
Sulikah has been committing the crime since April 2016, and at least 28 workers have fallen prey to her illegal activity, Sambo stated.
"The victims were sent to China in April 2016. They were arrested and detained by the Chinese Police in July, and deported to Indonesia on November 3," he added.
The police have seized 28 passports, 13 bank accounts in three national banks, 43 family identity cards, 27 birth certificates, 19 identity cards and three cellular phones.
Sulikah had promised the victims jobs as domestic workers in China with a monthly salary of Rp10 million.
The victims were accommodated in a hotel in Central Jakarta.
On their arrival to Shanghai, China, the victims had to sign a working contract. They were paid five thousand yuan per month, but four thousand yuan was deducted from it as administration fee.
Their passports were held by the employers before their debt for the fee was paid, but in fact, they were not paid at all, Sambo remarked.
The suspect received Rp20 million for each migrant workers, which was used to issue passport (Rp2 million), conduct medical checkup (Rp200 thousand), issue airlines ticket (Rp7 million) and visa (Rp600 thousand), as well as pay Rp2 million to the worker's family.
The police is investigating the involvement of other parties in the case.
"We are also investigating the flow of funds to the suspect's bank account," Sambo added.
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