 |
|
Infographic: Gumtree says the
advertisement was removed as soon as it was brought to their attention (Gumtree)
|
A South African woman has
been charged with human trafficking after allegedly trying to sell a child for
5,000 rand (US$525) on the trading website Gumtree, police say. The 20-year-old was
arrested during an undercover operation following a tip-off from a member of
the public.
"We
met her and there was an exchange of money with an undercover police
officer," Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesman for the Hawks special crimes
investigation unit said.
"We
arrested her directly."
The
19-month-old boy was in good health and has been taken into care by social workers.
AFP/Reuters report continues:
"What
we have already ascertained is that the baby is not hers and the baby is now
with the care of social workers," Mr Mulaudzi said.
"We
are trying to ascertain where this baby comes from and what exactly were this
woman's intentions."
Gumtree
spokeswoman said in a statement their customer service team was alerted that
the ad had been placed on their site.
"The
team immediately removed the ad and blocked the user's account," she said.
"[We]
escalated the issue to the corporate office that engages law enforcement on
suspected criminal cases."
The
woman appeared in court in Pietermaritzburg Magistrates Court on human
trafficking charges.
Her
case was adjourned until October 26.
No comments:
Post a Comment