Seven arrested for alleged involvement in online prostitution ring in conservative Aceh

Seven women have been arrested for their alleged involvement in an online prostitution ring in in Langso Baro district in Aceh.

Langsa Police criminal investigation unit chief First. Insp. Arief S Wibowo said investigators uncovered the alleged prostitution ring after receiving information from local residents.

“After an investigation, we arrested on Saturday two suspects identified as YN, 47 years old, and HN, 50 years old, in front of Harmoni Hotel in Langsa City,” Arief said in a statement.

The two are residents of Langsa and are believed to the ring’s pimps, according to the police.

After receiving YN ‘sand HN’s testimony, officers then went on to arrest five other women aged between 22 to 32 years old who had reportedly been hired as sex workers.

Arief said HN and YN had offered sex services through WhatsApp.

“They charged Rp 500,000 [US$33.72] per woman for one booking and pocketed Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000,” he said.

The women claimed they had to resort to prostitution because of financial difficulties, Arief said.

“They said their involvement in online prostitution was due to economic reasons. They needed money to pay for their daily needs,” he said.

Arief added that the Langsa Police only named HN and YN as suspects while the remaining five women were considered witnesses and had been released.

Aceh is the only conservative region in Muslim-majority Indonesia that implements sharia. The provincial administration has fully enforced Qanun Jinayat since 2015.