Daghestani woman arrested after trying to sell her newborn baby for $7,000

A 39-year-old woman from Daghestan has been detained after trying to sell her newborn. According to investigators, she gave birth to a daughter in October 2024, whom she tried to sell for ₽650,000 ($7,250) after she was discharged from the maternity ward.

The criminal proceedings were reported by the Department of the Investigative Committee in Daghestan.

At the same time, the Telegram channel Sapa reported a different version of the events — according to its data, the deal was uncovered when a nurse came for a check-up and did not find the baby.

The case involves not only the baby’s mother, but also a nurse at the Second Maternity Hospital in Makhachkala, as well as the nurse’s childless 46-year-old brother, who was reportedly the buyer. According to Sapa, investigators have detained all three, but an official statement from the Investigative Committee mentioned only the girl’s mother.

The child’s mother could receive up to 10 years in prison. The fate of the newborn remains unknown for now.

This case is not an isolated one. In June 2023 in Ingushetia, a 22-year-old woman received a suspended sentence for attempting to sell her own baby for ₽100,000 ($1,110).

In 2022, in the Daghestani town of Kaspiysk, a woman sold a baby to a childless couple. According to various sources, the price ranged from ₽20,000 to ₽300,000 ($223–$3,400).

In October 2021, a resident of Daghestan who tried to sell her newborn baby for ₽300,000 ($3,350) was sentenced to four years in prison in Moscow.

In July 2020, a guilty verdict was handed down against five residents of the Daghestani town of Izberbash, who were found guilty of selling a newborn baby girl for ₽200,000 ($2,220).

Experts note that the problem of selling children is very relevant for the North Caucasus republics, as childbirth outside of marriage is typically not approved by Muslims.

In addition, childless women are sometimes considered ’defective’, and therefore are ready to go to any lengths to have a child. At the same time, men do not have their health checked, and male infertility is not considered a reason for not having children in the family – only women are blamed for infertility.

According to Takie Dela, very few orphanages exist in the North Caucasus. In interviews with the outlet, respondents attributed the absence of orphanages ‘due to the influence of strong blood ties’. Healthy children from well-to-do families without parents are taken away by relatives. Only children whose parents are only temporarily deprived of parental rights and children with serious health problems end up in orphanages.

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