JAKARTA, INDONESIA - A 65-year-old French retiree is now facing charges of molesting and physically abusing more than 300 children in Indonesia and may be penalized with death penalty according to authorities, July 9.

Jakarta police apprehended child molester and pedophile Francois Camille Abello in a hotel in Jakarta last month and found two under-aged girls inside the perpetrator's room. The police stated that if convicted, Abello could face the death penalty by firing squad or life imprisonment in accordance with child protection laws in Indonesia.

According to Chief Insp. Gen. Nana Sudjana of Jakarta Police, Abello's arrest was made after the authorities received a tip of his activities. The police then started an investigation until they were able to nab the suspect and catch him in the act last month.

Nana also stated that during the arrest, Abello was caught with two minors inside his hotel room with one of them already rid of her clothes. He was then immediately taken to the police headquarters and was detained.

Based on the report, more than 305 minors have been allegedly victimized by the French molester. The police were also able to identify 17 of these victims whose ages ranged from 10-17 years old. Authorities also revealed that most of the French pedophile's victims were street children, The Jakarta Post reported.

Moreover, the police stated that they have found videos of the sexual encounters between Abello and the children on the perp's laptop. The videos showed the suspect doing sexual acts with hundreds of his victims who were all minors.

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The suspect's modus operandi is to lure children to work for him as models which included a fat pay. When his bait is taken by the gullible children, he would then proposition them to have sex with him and will pay those who agree 250,000 to one million rupiahs. While those who would refuse to do so would be beaten by the suspect.

According to The Straits Times, the French pensioner has been to and from Indonesia several times within the past five years. The authorities stated that their investigation suggests that Abello could have been molesting more Indonesian children throughout the years of his travel in the Southeast Asian nation.

End Child Prostitution And Trafficking (ECPAT) International stated that at least 70,000 children in Indonesia are exposed and have become victims of sexual exploitation in the country every year.

Meanwhile, ECPAT Indonesia has shown appreciation for the police's apprehension of the police molester but criticized their slow-paced actions which led to a large number of victims.

Ahmad Sofian, National Coordinator of ECPAT Indonesia stated that street children in the country being victims of said molestation and abuse is not a new thing in the country. This is because these children are gullible since they are in need of money. These children are also off the radar since they usually roam and live on the streets. Sofian also stated that authorities often overlook the abuse of street children in their country.

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