A 49-year-old Japanese chef in the Indonesian capital has been arrested on suspicion of having sex with two underage girls, local media reported Sunday.
Akira Ando, alias Gonzaburou, was arrested Saturday at the restaurant in South Jakarta where he works, the reports quoted South Jakarta Police spokesman Purwanta as saying.
He is alleged to have paid for sex with the girls, aged 11 and 13, who work as street vendors near his restaurant. Police said the allegations came to light while conducting an investigation into a syndicate pimping out underage girls to foreigners.
"Police arrested the perpetrator to follow up a report from a mother of one of the victims," Purwanta said.
Ando allegedly paid 2 million rupiah (about $148) for sex with each girl, according to the reports.
He has been charged under the 2014 Law on the Protection of Children "for persuading a child to perform obscene acts." If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in jail and fine of up to 5 billion rupiah.
His arrest followed the arrests 10 days ago of three teenagers and a 54-year-old pimp suspected of involvement in a child prostitution syndicate.
The police are hunting for other foreigners who were clients of the syndicate.