In an extremely over-the-top understanding of desperate times and desperate measures; a South African woman was arrested after attempting to sell her 19 month old baby online.
Using the online classifieds site Gumtree, the 20 year old woman placed the baby on sale for 5000 Rand ($380).
A citizen tipped off the police, who sent an agent to pose as an interested buyer. The woman was then arrested and the baby taken off her and placed into the social system.
“Someone alerted us to the advert. We made contact with the young lady and met with her undercover on Tuesday,” Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi told the BBC.
“We had told her that we would make the cash transaction she asked for. We arrested her as soon as we met with her,” he said.
The woman was charged with human trafficking upon her appearance in court, whilst the case has been adjourned to October 26 for police investigations to continue.