A woman in South Africa who was caught trying to sell her 19-month-old baby for 5,000 rands ($380) over the internet appeared in court on Friday.
The lady had advertised the potential sale of the baby on popular advertising site Gumtree, drawing the attention of the country’s Hawks Special Crimes Unit, who arrested the 20-year-old on a tip-off, AFP reported.
According to the Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, who spoke to AFP, “We met her and there was an exchange of money with an undercover police officer.
“She gave us the baby and we arrested her directly.”
A South African Daily, The Express Tribune, quoted Mulaudzi as saying, “What we have already ascertained is that the baby is not hers and the baby is now with the care of social workers,”
“We are trying to ascertain where this baby comes from and what exactly were this woman’s intentions.”
In a statement, Gumtree’s spokesperson, Claire Cobbledick said, “Gumtree South Africa’s customer service team was alerted that a young woman had placed an ad on the site advertising a child for sale.
“The team immediately removed the ad and blocked the user’s account. (We) escalated the issue to the corporate office that engages law enforcement on suspected criminal cases.”
The suspect appeared in a Magistrates court in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal province, on human trafficking charges and her case was adjourned until October 26 for hearing.
The affected baby was said to be in good health and has been taken into custody by social workers.