A man sold his baby online for £700 then used the cash to fund his gambling spree, police have said.
The 36-year-old dad, named only as RA, was arrested after the infant’s mum arrived home in Indonesia to find the child missing.
Zain Dwi Nugroho, chief of police in the city of Tangerang, east of Jakarta, said: ‘She pressed RA to share the whereabouts of their child until he eventually confessed that he had sold the newborn.
‘RA saw on Facebook that the buyers were looking to purchase a toddler so he sent them a message and arranged the purchase.’
Nugroho said the man told his officers he had money problems but gambled the cash away instead.
The baby was tracked to a rented home in Tangerang where two adults were also arrested on suspicion of involvement in a human trafficking ring.
They face up to 15 years in jail and a 600 million rupiah (£30,000) fine under Indonesian law if convicted.
Ai Maryati, the head of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission, told detikNews: ‘There is no excuse to be treating children this way and violation of their rights has to be punished severely.’
The disturbing case comes just weeks after police smashed an unrelated baby smuggling ring in the city of Depok.
Arya Perdan, chief of police there, said the infants were put up for sale on Facebook, with prices ranging 10 million to 15 million Indonesian rupiah (£490 to £740).
The traffickers then took them to Bali, where they were sold on again for as much as 45 million rupiah (£2,195), according to CNN Indonesia.
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