14 DAY TRIAL // A couple has been accused of human trafficking after selling their newborn child. The incident took place in China, and the young pair are said to have used the money to buy an iPhone the next day.
According to the Daily Mail, they started posting ads in the local newspaper and tried to sell the baby, before it was born. After the birth, they posted information about the baby online, providing details to potential buyers.
The parents' ages have not been revealed until now. They have been identified only as Miss Zhang and Mr. Teng.
They have allegedly sold the baby for approximately 50,000 yuan (about €5,900 / $8,100). The police in Yangpu district in Shanghai arrested them not long after the delivery. The mother gave birth at home, in order to avoid registering her newborn with authorities.
The International Business Times revealed that officials tracked their credit card payments and found that the mother bought the iPhone online after the transaction.
The pair also purchased expensive sports shoes and several other luxury items. The father owns a mobile phone accessories’ wholesale business, but they have explained that financial issues have led them to sell the baby.
“Because of poor material conditions, they want their children to get a good education, careful cultivation, and decided to give them a better family,” a police spokesperson says.
“We did not give the baby away for money but in order to give it more security,” they reportedly said.
China imposes that families only have one child, and breaking the policy brings upon very large fines.
This is the couple's third child, and they have attempted to hide the pregnancy. When asked about the mom's growing belly bump, they claimed that she had a tumor.