The woman was charged for human trafficking and will appear at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s court on Friday.
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The 20-year-old woman was arrested during an undercover operation following a tip-off from a member of the public that a baby was being sold for R5,000 on Gumtree.
The woman’s identity has not been made public, so it was not possible to contact her for comment.
“We had told her that we would make the cash transaction she asked for”.
The Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the woman posted an advert on Gumtree selling the baby for R5000 on Sunday. “We arrested her as soon as we met with her”, he said.
“I think there is a misconception that the child belongs to the suspect, but the child does not belong to her, and we are now investigating and looking for the parents of the child”, Mulaudzi said, adding that there is a possibility that the child may have been stolen.
Gumtree has been co-operating with investigators, the police said.
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He said a second advert was then placed, with the heading: “baby auto seat” and placed in the Baby and Kids sale section.
