Police in Indonesia on Thursday arrested three suspects in connection with an online prostitution ring that allegedly linked adult men to about 100 mostly teenage boys. Officers caught the first suspect, a man in his 40s accused of pimping out boys on his Facebook page, on Tuesday in a hotel room in Cisarua on Java island.


The man, whose identity was not disclosed, was with seven boys and an 18-year-old when he was arrested, said senior police officer Agung Setya. Two more suspects were detained on Wednesday, one who allegedly also offered boys over social media, and another accused of using the service which involved boys between 12 and 18 years of age.

“They all know each other, they’re a syndicate,” said Setya.

Investigators found 99 boys offered online at prices ranging from 1.2 million rupiah to 10 million rupiah ($90 to $750).

The police began monitoring the first suspect in August, when they came across his Facebook account during a regular online check.

He had been released from jail in March after serving a sentence for prostitution involving girls, Setya added.