Six people have been detained on suspicion of arranging and running a baby trafficking business via the WeChat messaging network. An investigative report by the Xiaoxiang Morning Post claims that they were offering a “newborn, healthy boy” and suggesting those interested should “come to Hunan, Yiyang quickly.”
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The traffickers’ post was reportedly accompanied by two videos of a child and purported information about his parents, who “felt unable to raise a second child.”
The report also claimed that the mother of the baby in question, whose whereabouts remain unknown, was asked to sign a declaration that read, “I give up my infant voluntarily [and] for free. I hope you can treat him with kindness.”
“Multiple media outlets and an unnamed individual reported that infants were being trafficked from a hospital in Yiyang on June 21, and the department arrested three suspects at the scene. After the establishment of an investigative panel… we arrested three further suspects. So far, there are six people [in custody] and the case remains under investigation,” the police stated.
According to the media outlet, babies from poorer regions are often sold to well-off families who cannot have children of their own. Girls are reportedly sold for an average of 10,000 yuan ($1,514), whereas boys go for much more – an average of 45,000 yuan ($6,814).
