“An unemployed couple will stand trial in Shanghai for allegedly selling their baby and using the proceeds to bankroll an online shopping spree, including the purchase of an iPhone,” Tom Phillips reports for The Telegraph.
“The couple, named only as Mr Teng and Ms Zhang, began posting online adverts for the child in June this year, Shanghai’s Jiefang Daily newspaper reported on Friday,” Phillips reports. “The adverts suggested they would be willing to part with their unborn baby in exchange for up to 50,000 yuan (£5,070). After a home birth, designed to cover-up the crime, they handed over the baby girl and received a large cash payment into their bank account on the very same day.”
“Mr Teng and Ms Zhang reportedly told prosecutors they were acting in their daughter’s best interests, claiming they had hoped to place her with a financially stable family who could provide an education,” Phillips reports. “However, prosecutors believe the couple’s bank records clearly show they had in fact hatched a ‘sinister conspiracy’ to profit from the child’s sale. One credit card bill shows that immediately after ‘trading’ the baby girl, the couple spent large amounts of cash on the internet, it was reported. Among their purchases was an iPhone…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Well, now, there’s a Shanghai Surprise.
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