Barnokhon, who was 23 at the time, had come to the capital from the south-western city of Ufa and met her buyers, who collaborated with the police.
After receiving the equivalent of £11,512 for her one-week-old daughter, Barnokhon was arrested — her actions potentially linked to an absence of affordable maternity insurance plans and prenatal counseling services.
Police said this was the second time the mother had tried to sell her children. She was said to have made her first attempt six months prior — on that occasion trying to sell her older daughter, who was just one.
At the time, Barnokhon, who was already pregnant with her third child, posted a message on social media saying: “Looking for adoptive parents for a one-year-old girl. Moscow.”
The message was spotted by activists at NGO ‘Alternativa’ who fight human trafficking. They responded to the post and found out that Barnokhon was going to sell her child.
