Russian mother sold newborn on black market

A woman has been placed under house arrest in Russia for allegedly selling her new-born baby boy to a "childless couple" she met through "acquaintances" for 25,000 rubles, approximately $317.

The mother, identified only as Chechena is the mother of three other school-age children.  After pocketing the agreed price for her son, she used the money to purchase "sweets and clothes for the children."

Chechena allegedly admitted that she had used the purchaser's passport to check into the maternity hospital in April.  After the birth, a midwife handed the child over to the buyer's husband, believing him to be Chechena's spouse.

She admitted to having second thoughts, but ultimately agreed to go along with a sale of her child.

“Later I called them several times, and they did not answer," she said. “Then they blacklisted me.”

Child care officials who knew that she had been pregnant began to ask questions concerning the whereabouts of her new child, which sparked the investigation.

“If they had returned me the child, my fourth son, I would have taken him," she told investigators.

The baby is now said to be in the care of social services and the purchasing couple have been placed into detention.

If convicted under Russia's child trafficking laws, Chechena and the couple face a possible sentence of up to 15 years.