3 Indonesians Fall Victim to Chinese Men's Arranged Marriages, Promised Millions in Dowry

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Three Indonesian women, identified as HA, MM, and MA, have fallen victim to human trafficking involving arranged marriages with Chinese men.

“In this case, there are three victims,” said Kombes Yolanda Evalyn Sebayang, head of Sub-Directorate III of the Directorate of Women and Children’s Protection (PPA) and Human Trafficking Prevention (PPO) at the National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri), during a press conference at Bareskrim Polri on Thursday (November 12, 2026).

The police are investigating this case based on report number LP/B/482/X/2026/SPKT/Bareskrim Polri dated October 11, 2026.

Between August and October 2026, the three victims were recruited by a woman identified as RMM, who promised them marriage to foreign nationals from China.

“The victims were promised a dowry of between 20 million and 25 million rupiah, along with monthly payments of about 4 to 5 million rupiah once they arrived at their destination abroad,” Yolanda explained.

According to investigative findings, agents in Indonesia and Hong Kong sent photos of the three victims to an agent in China to create a bridal catalog.

“Each woman was reportedly offered for a transaction value ranging from 400 million to 500 million rupiah,” Yolanda added.

Secret Marriages in Jakarta Apartments

After this process, the three victims were housed in an apartment in Jakarta.

While there, they were assisted in arranging their personal and travel documents.

During this process, it is suspected that identity fraud was committed by altering the victims' birth years to meet marriage eligibility requirements in the destination country.

“Before being dispatched, the victims were allegedly married in a secret ceremony to a Chinese national in the apartment prepared by the recruitment network, without documentation or official marriage certificates from the Indonesian government,” Yolanda stated.

On October 10, 2026, the victims were scheduled to depart for China via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

They were set to travel on a Jakarta-Penang route before continuing on to Hong Kong.

“However, immigration officials detected indications of arranged marriage practices and conducted further investigations,” she clarified.

Three Suspects, Including a Foreign National

In this case, investigators from the PPA and PPO Bareskrim Polri have named three suspects: YB, RMM, and FC alias IA.

YB, a Chinese national, played the role of the groom.

He traveled to Indonesia to marry an Indonesian woman and then bring her back to China.

Additionally, two other women were also planned to be taken to Hong Kong.

Suspect RMM persuaded the victims to agree to become arranged brides with promises of a dowry ranging from 20 million to 25 million rupiah.

She also organized non-procedural marriages in the Grand Pramuka Apartment, which was used as accommodation for the victims.

“To provide context, suspect RMM was previously a victim of arranged marriage herself and is now a perpetrator,” she explained.

Meanwhile, FC alias IA assisted in falsifying the victims' personal and travel documents.

In uncovering this case, investigators seized a number of evidences, including nine mobile phones, original identity documents suspected to be forged, passports, flight tickets, boarding passes, travel documents, and payment receipts.

The three suspects are facing charges under Article 4 and Article 10 of Law Number 21 of 2007.