A father in China has reportedly sold his newborn child to a stranger online because of financial pressure.
- The man tried to sell his child after losing his job as a result of the Coronavirus.
- He had succeeded in persuading his pregnant wife to illegally sell the 40-day-old baby.
- Ms Xu, the woman who bought the baby, was caught by the police after acting suspiciously.
The family sold their 40-day-old baby boy to a stranger online for £18,600.
According to the Daily Mail, a man in China persuaded his wife to sell their 40-day-old baby to a stranger online. The family had decided to sell their newborn son after the father had lost his job due to the pandemic and was experiencing great financial pressure. Subsequently, the baby was sold to Ms. Xu – a woman who had described herself as being of desperate need of a child. Following the illegal transaction, the buyer was caught by the police.
Ms Xu seemed suspicious and was stopped and interrogated by police.
The Daily Mail further reported that the buyer had caught the police’s attention on October 30 when she was riding a train with the newborn baby. It is believed that the woman was travelling from ‘Jiang’an County in south-western China’s Sichuan Province – where the baby’s biological parents live – to her home in Huoshan County in eastern China’s Anhui Province’. When she was approached and interrogated by the police, she initially lied and said that she had adopted the child. Of course, after a thorough investigation, the truth came to light.
The buyer claimed to have paid ‘nutrition fees’ in exchange for the newborn baby.
On November 3, the baby’s biological parents were reportedly found and interrogated. It was revealed that the parents (Mr Liu and Ms Zhang) already had two children when the mother became pregnant with the third baby. Ms Zhang had to stop working due to her pregnancy and Mr Liu was unable to find employment due to the pandemic. Finding that they cannot afford their car or mortgage payments, they decided to sell the newborn baby. The Daily Mail reports that Ms Xu had met the family, paid 163,000 yuan (£18,600), a gold necklace and bracelet in exchange for the child.
The case is still under investigation and Ms Xu, Mr Liu, and Ms Zhang are currently under police detention. While the punishment for child trafficking is generally 5-10 years in prison, life sentences and death penalties can also be issued under Chinese law.
